National
Lalu Prasad, Jagannath Mishra get 5 years jail in fodder scam case (Lead)
By Nityanand Shukla
Ranchi, Jan 24 (IANS) A special CBI court on Wednesday sentenced former Bihar Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra to five years in prison in a fodder scam case and slapped a fine of Rs 10 lakh on the former and Rs 5 lakh on the latter.
The special Central Bureau of Investigation court Judge S.S. Prasad pronounced the judgment related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 33.67 crore from the Chaibasa Treasury in 1992-1993.
The special CBI court has convicted 50 people and acquitted six in this case.
This is third case in the fodder scam in which the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief has been convicted, while it is the second for Mishra.
The CBI judge pronounced the quantum of sentence at 2 p.m. The court slapped two fines of Rs 5 lakh against Lalu and a Rs 5 lakh fine on Mishra.
Earlier at 11 a.m., Lalu Prasad was brought to the CBI court from the Birsa Munda Central Jail, where he has been lodged since January 6 following his conviction on December 23, 2017 for three and half years in a fodder scam case related to the Deoghar Treasury.
Of the 50 convicted in the Chaibasa treasury case, six are politiciana, three former IAS officials, including former Jharkhand Chief secretary Sajjal Chrkravarty and others.
The convicted also included four women, who were suppliers in the fodder scam and each of them were awarded three years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 fine each.
There were total 76 accused in the case, of whom 14 died during the trial while three turned CBI approvers, two admitted to their crime and one is absconding.
After convicting the accused the CBI court asked whether argument on quantum of sentence should take place on Wednesday or another date be fixed.
Lalu Prasad’s lawyer requested to hear the argument on the day itself and requested a minimum punishment citing health grounds.
In this case the CBI had filed its charge sheet in 2001.
Talking to reporters, Lalu Prasad’s son Tejashwi Yadav said: “This is not the final court. We will move the High Court.”
The RJD chief was convicted in the fodder scam case for the first time in 2013 and was awarded five years imprisonment.
The multi-million fodder scam case surfaced in the undivided Bihar in the 1990s.
A Patna High Court directive ordered the case probe to be handed over to the CBI. The allegation against Lalu Prasad is that he ignored the scam reports in his capacity as the Finance Minister.
Lalu Prasad is facing a total of six cases in the fodder scam and he has been convicted in three cases.
Trials in two cases were ongoing in the Ranchi CBI court and in one case trial is underway at Patna.
–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.