Connect with us

National

Water management to decide future elections: NITI Aayog CEO

Published

on

New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS) Management of water resources will decide future elections in states as it is the “most critical” issue facing the country, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Tuesday.

Kant said India, which was already a water-stressed country, was rapidly moving towards being a water-scarce country.

“Water is an issue which will decide future elections. Governments will be voted out of power for mismanaging their water wealth,” Kant said at the Water Innovation Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Asserting that people need water, Kant said wherever they don’t get it, they would throw out the government of that state.

He said there is a need to link good governance with good politics so that water becomes the top government priority, adding that the state governments not managing water well will lose elections in future.

“There is also a need to name and shame such states through ranking… Award those states which do well on the water management front and shame those which perform miserably.”

Kant said that not only would water determine electoral and political success, it would also determine India’s ability to achieve rapid economic growth.

“It would determine whether we are able to improve quality of life of our people and whether we can do it in a sustainable manner,” he added.

The NITI Aayog CEO said irrigation consumes 84 per cent of India’s total available water with industry and domestic sectors consuming “mere 12 and 4 per cent”, respectively.

“We continue to use two to four times more water to produce one unit of major food crop compared to Brazil, China and the United States. Per drop more crop is, therefore, imperative,” he added.

Kant said that majority of India’s irrigation, rural drinking water and urban drinking water needs were met through ground water.

“This total dependence on ground water has led to a radical decline in the ground water table,” he said, adding that some north Indian states like Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan were slowly turning into deserts.

However, he said, all was not lost as many states “due to the last couple of years of drought” had moved to some unique initiatives at the field level to better manage their water resources.

NITI Aayog is also pushing them towards that goal through a composite and comparative water management index which ranks states covering all aspects of water management, Kant said.

He said the ranking of states on the basis of water management will come out this year.

–IANS
vv/amit/dg

Continue Reading

National

Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

Published

on

By

Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

Continue Reading

Trending