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‘I-T raids reveal Rs 1,430 cr tax evasion by Sasikala kin, associates’ (Lead)

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Chennai, Nov 13 (IANS) The Income Tax Department has unearthed tax evasion of Rs 1,430 crore during its raids/searches spread over five days at the premises of jailed AIADMK leader V.K. Sasikala’s kin and their business associates, an official said on Monday.

“We have found tax evasion of Rs 1,430 crore, as of now. This figure is likely to go up as we have also seized incriminating documents. We have seized Rs 7 crore in cash, and gold jewellery worth around Rs 5 crore,” the senior tax official told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

“A lot of diamonds seized have to be evaluated. We have also frozen 15 bank lockers and several bank accounts,” he added.

The search operations resumed on Monday after it was temporarily called off on Sunday.

He said the department waited for individuals and companies associated with Sasikala to file their tax returns for the last fiscal, adding that searches were carried out to detect tax evasion based on the filings and the data with the Income Tax Department.

The official said that tax demand would be raised after analysing the documents and obtaining clarifications.

The department had summoned Karnataka’s AIADMK leader V. Pugazhendi, whose premises were searched last week.

Pugazhendi told reporters that he had been asked to come again a couple of days later, adding that he was extending cooperation to the tax officials.

Sasikala, currently serving a jail sentence after conviction for corruption, was a confidante of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and lived with her for decades.

The searches were conducted in connection with unexplained routing of cash post-demonetisation through shell companies allegedly connected to Sasikala and her nephew T.T.V. Dinakaran, who heads one of the factions of the ruling AIADMK.

The Income Tax Department will look at the routing of funds within India whereas other agencies will look into the routing of money outside India, the official said.

“We have information about shell companies and the searches were in connection with their operations,” he had said earlier.

On Thursday, a team of around 1,800 IT officials knocked at the doors of 187 premises — residences and offices and farmhouses — to carry out one of the biggest income tax searches on Sasikala’s kin and associates.

The places raided included the residence of Sasikala’s husband M. Natarajan in Thanjavur, Kodanad Tea Estate belonging to Jayalalithaa, Jazz Cinemas, Midas Distilleries, Sharada Paper and Boards, Senthil Group of Companies, Nilgiri Furniture in Coimbatore, Jaya TV, Namadhu MGR and several other premises in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.

–IANS
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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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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.

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