National
Karnataka contests Modi’s charge regarding housing
Bengaluru, Feb 5 (IANS) The Congress government in Karnataka on Monday denied Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charge that it could not implement the housing scheme for the poor under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in the state.
“Karnataka had been allotted 3.36 lakh houses for the poor under the scheme, but the state government has constructed only 38,000 houses,” Modi said at a Bharatiya Janata Party rally here on Sunday.
In a statement a day after Modi’s attack on the ruling Congress in the poll-bound southern state, the Siddaramaiah government said that housing was its priority and it was working on it even without the central government’s help.
“The government had promised to construct 15 lakh houses during its tenure from 2013-18, out of which it has already completed 13.71 lakh houses, spending Rs 14,300 crore,” a government statement said.
By the end of March, Karnataka would complete the construction of all 15 lakh houses for the urban and rural poor, the statement said.
Under the PMAY (urban) scheme, the state had so far constructed 290,507 houses at a cost of Rs 14,765 crore, it said.
“The central government’s share in the urban housing was meant to be Rs 4,357 crore, of which it released only Rs 345 crore, which is not even 10 per cent,” the state government claimed.
For the past two years, 145,349 houses were sanctioned to be built in rural areas of the state under the PMAY (rural), of which 137,968 houses were completed, it added.
“The central government released only Rs 696 crore against its supposed share of Rs 1,088 crore, despite which we have built 137,968 houses in villages by utilising our own funds,” the state government said.
For 2017-18, the state built 63,843 houses in villages as part of the PMAY (rural) scheme, despite the Centre giving less than 10 per cent of its supposed share, it added.
The PMAY, under the Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs, aims to provide affordable housing to everyone in the country by 2022.
–IANS
bha/tsb/bg
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.