National
Work on three river-linking projects to begin: Gadkari
New Delhi, Oct 26 (IANS) Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said work on three river-linking projects including Ken-Betwa and 150 other schemes for a pollution-free Ganga will begin in the next three months.
“There are 30 such schemes of around Rs 5 lakh crore. Work in all the three schemes will begin within three months. It will also solve the problem of floods and the issue of water scarcity. It will also help the farmers in agricultural irrigation,” the Road Transport and Highways Minister said at the 112th annual session of the PHD Chamber of Commerce.
Gadkari also said work on the schemes — Daman Ganga with Pinjal (which is in Gujarat and Maharashtra) and the Par Tapi-Narmada link and the Ken Betwa Project — worth Rs 80,000 crore will start in the next three months.
“There are about 97 projects for pollution-free Ganga, of which 90 have been approved. Seven projects are yet to be awarded,” said Gadkari, who is also the Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
“Moreover, there are 55 other projects, which are stalled. These projects will also be made functional by March financing so that Ganga becomes pollution-free,” he said.
“All the 150 projects will begin by three months, latest by March. There is a lot of pollution in Ganga in bigger cities like Kanpur and Mathura,” said Gadkari.
He also said that in the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, 99 irrigation projects will be completed by December next year and will start in the next three months.
“More than 285 projects are in the pipeline. Through this project, about 1 crore 88 lakh hectare land in the country will be brought under water. The water which passed through canal, would now go through a pipeline. The central government investment will be about Rs. 1.5 lakh crore,” he added.
Gadkari said he has settled water disputes between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat and was trying his best to solve the dispute between Punjab and Haryana.
“In our country, 70 per cent of river water goes waste and is guzzled by the seas. There are six rivers between India and Pakistan, we have rights over three rivers and they have rights over three. We cannot let our rivers flow into Pakistan due to the dispute between the states over rivers.”
Gadkari said: “Policy decisions are being finalized to run bikes and even tractors including heavy vehicles on bio-ethanol generated from resources including rice and wheat stubble.
“Efforts are also being made to make landing arrangements for aeroplanes and smaller aircraft on water bodies that can also take off and land on surface,” said Gadkari.
–IANS
sid/pgh/bg
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.