National
Furore as Maharashtra farmer who consumed poison in Mantralaya dies
Mumbai, Jan 29 (IANS) There was a furore in Maharashtra political circles on Monday after a 84-year-old farmer, who had consumed poison at Mantralaya — the state government headquarters — succumbed late on Sunday.
The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party attacked the government terming it as “not a suicide, but a murder” by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena combine, even as senior ministers rushed to the hospital on Monday.
On January 22, the farmer from Dhule, Dharma Patil, had come to Mantralaya seeking enhanced compensation for his land that was acquired by the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company for a solar power project and even demanded to meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
However, he had suddenly collapsed and was rushed to St.George Hospital, and later shifted to Sir J.J. Hospital.
En route, Patil told his son that he had consumed rat poison. Later his condition became critical and he was put on dialysis, but succumbed late on Sunday night.
Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan said “this is Patil’s murder” for which the government is responsible and he should be given justice.
“The man had come seeking compensation for his land which was taken at a throwaway price of around Rs 400,000, while others in the neigbourhood were compensated in crores of rupees. He was totally crestfallen and wanted justice but the government ignored him, leaving him with no options,” Chavan said in a stinging attack.
Leader of Opposition (NCP) in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde said Patil’s death is the result of the “cruelty by the government” and the ruling BJP-Sena cannot give justice to the farmers.
Former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said he was “deeply pained by the death of the 84-year-old farmer” who fought against the insensitive and apathetic government.
“Messed up loan waiver, non-remunerative farm prices and cruel land acquisition with unfair compensation has ended another precious life,” Chavan said, demanding a judicial probe into the matter.
“For whom is this government really working? If you cannot work in the interests of the people, you have no right to continue in power,” said senior NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, assuring the victim’s son Narendra Patil of support in his quest for justice.
Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader and MP Raju Shetty said the state government and its rehabilitation department is solely responsible for Patil’s death.
“The officials should be booked under the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Since there were no middlemen involved, he was given a compensation of only Rs 4 lakh,” Shetti said.
Earlier on Monday, Patil’s autopsy was performed and the body handed over to his family but they refused to take it unless a written assurance of additional value for the land was given by the government.
Meanwhile, as the issue appeared to snowball into a major controversy, the government gave a written assurance to Patil’s family of enhancing the compensation.
Power Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule told mediapersons that he has ordered the district collector to re-evaluate 199 hectares of land and if the (Patil) family has been deprived of adequate compensation, they would be compensated along with interest.
Attempting to shift the blame on the previous Congress-NCP government, Bawankule said that the land belonging to Patil and other farmers had been surveyed for compensation between 2009-2015, when injustice was done to the (now) deceased farmer.
–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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