National
India giving top priority to pollution problem, diplomats assured
New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) Following concerns expressed by the diplomatic community over the record-breaking pollution levels in the national capital, the government on Friday said “top priority” is being accorded to the matter.
Chief of Protocol in the External Affairs Ministry Sanjay Verma told Frank Hans Dannenburg Castellanos, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and the Ambassador of Dominican Republic, during a meeting here: “I would like to assure you that the Government of India is giving this matter top priority.
“The conditions affecting us are historically not unique to India alone. These challenges are byproducts of rapid economic growth and development (that) are known to have affected several countries.”
A statement issued here on Friday evening by Castellanos quoted Verma as saying that India was “committed to dealing with this issue, including learning from best practices emerging from countries that have traversed this experience”.
Castellanos sought the meeting with the External Affairs Ministry, which though has nothing to do with the country’s air quality, after being approached by many distressed diplomats.
Costa Rican Ambassador Mariela Alvarez, in fact, shifted to Bengaluru and said on Tuesday that she was suffering from upper respiratory infection.
According to Castellanos, Verma said: “The unusual deterioration in the quality of air is a product of multiple causes, most of which are indeed domestic, but have also been aggravated by a dust storm from a distant geography.”
“The simultaneous aggregation of these cases has led us to an environmental challenge, which the government of India is determined to address and ameliorate,” the Chief of Protocol said.
The Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) researcher Usman Nasim told IANS on Thursday that the pollution levels in the region could go up in the coming days due to climatic conditions.
“Pollution may increase in next few days due to withdrawal of north-west winds. As wind speed goes down, pollution levels may go up. As per SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research), AQI (air quality index) will remain ‘very poor’,” Nasim said.
He said the major contributing factor would be local vehicular emission now and increase in moisture would aggravate it.
In his statement, Castellanos said that he thanked Verma “and we both hope that the outcome of the efforts of both central and local governments will bring rapid and positive results, not only for the diplomats living in India but also for every citizen, children and adults that live in this very active, energetic and busy city”.
–IANS
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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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