National
SC seeks details of Haj aspirants who applied 5 times without success (Lead)
New Delhi, Jan 30 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Central government to furnish details of Haj pilgrimage aspirants who are above 65 years and have applied for it five times without success.
Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chadrachud sought the details of such applicants in a tabular form by the next date of hearing on February 19.
As an ad-interim measure, the court directed the filing of the statement with regard to the “fifth time applicants, who have crossed the age of 65 years and are below 70 years, and have never been able to go for pilgrimage”.
The order came on a petition by the Kerala State Haj Committee seeking rationalisation of allocation of Haj quota, contending that Kerala has more applicants but lesser allocation of Haj seats while Bihar has lesser number of applicants but more quota of seats.
Appearing for the Central government, Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand said the petitioner has not been able to flag the violation of Constitution’s Article 14 which guarantees equality before law.
The Centre had on January 5 defended its Haj policy under which a quota is allocated on the basis of the Muslim population in each state and contended that it was not discriminatory and based on objective criteria.
The court was told in the last hearing that the Haj policy was formulated by the Central Haj Committee after consulting 31 State Haj Committees.
Kerala State Haj Committee has moved the top court questioning the allocation of Haj quota on the basis of Muslim population saying that it deprives Muslims in smaller states including Kerala from undertaking the pilgrimages to Makkah and Madinah.
The court was told that Bihar gets the quota of 12,000 pilgrims but only gets 6,900 applicants to go for pilgrimage and Kerala get a share of 6,000 seats while there are 95,000 applicants for Haj.
The Saudi Arabian government allows India to send 1.7 lakh Haj pilgrims which in turn are distributed to the states in proportion to their Muslim population.
–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.