National
Present economic policies corporate-centric: RSS affiliate
New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) An RSS affiliate on Thursday said that although it does not endorse BJP leader Yashwant Sinha’s view that the Modi government’s economic policies led to a decline in the economy, the present economic policies are “corporate-centric” and not focussed on the common man.
“As far as Yashwant Sinha’s criticism of the state of economy is concerned, we do not approve. He has said that demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST) have played a ‘big role’ in the decline of the economy. Now, that’s exaggeration,” Ashwani Mahajan, the National Co-Convener of Swadeshi Jagran Manch, told IANS.
“The economy has not got ruined… the way he is saying. Of course, there is a short-term disruption in economy due to GST, but the scale of disruption is not to the extent it happened post-demonetisation,” he said.
A day after creating a political storm through a critique published in The Indian Express, which led to a debate in the country over the state of the economy, Sinha on Thursday said the economy was in a bad shape for a long time as the government had failed to analyse the effects of demonetisation and given another shock in the form of GST.
“They (demonetisation and GST) played a big role in the decline of the economy,” he said.
Mahajan said the Swadeshi Jagran Manch had supported demonestisation and it was not against GST in principle.
“We are not against GST but against its current form, because interests of small traders have not been taken care of. There are many small trades and industries which need to be kept in low tax-rate bracket. They should be given protection,” he said.
“What is happening today is that the top few are getting everything. The government’s present economic policy is corporate-centric and not focussed to the common man. GDP may go down but if the fruits of development reach the common man and employment is generated, it would be desirable. This government, to some extent, has tried in this direction but there is need for a radical change,” the Manch leader said.
Mahajan maintained that every government had focussed on increasing growth rate. “But did they not think whether employment is increasing or not? Whether equality is growing or not? Whether the lives of people are improving or not? Even the present development model of Jagdish Bhagwati and Arvind Panagariya is not going to achieve anything.”
Bhagwati and Panagariya served as Vice Chairman of the government think-tank NITI Aayog.
“This needs to be changed. For this we need to go to the development model of Deendayal Upadhyay, which is steeped in humanism and talks about the last men in the queue and which talks about growth with employment generation. His development model is the need of the hour,” Mahajan said.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
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.