National
Rahul asks ‘pro-rich Modi’ to waive farmer loans
Koppal (Karnataka), Feb 11 (IANS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to waive loans of farmers than working only for the rich, businessmen and industrialists.
“Though the Modi government works for the rich, businessmen and industrialists, I urge the Prime Minister to waive loans of farmers who are the backbone of the country,” Gandhi said at a public meeting at Karatagi in Karnataka’s Koppal district, about 350km northwest of Bengaluru.
Addressing a huge gathering in the state’s northern region on the second day of his four-day visit to poll-bound Karnataka, Gandhi said there were two types of governments the world over — one which works for industrialists, and other for the poor.
“The Modi government, which works for the rich, is slowly waiving Rs 10 lakh crore debt of businessmen but not loans of thousands of farmers across the country reeling under the agrarian crisis,” the Congress chief said.
Gandhi is on his maiden visit to Karnataka after taking over the reins of the party in mid-December from his mother Sonia Gandhi and ahead of assembly polls in the southern state, due in late April or early May.
Asserting that the state’s Congress government is “pro-farmer and pro-poor”, following the principles of 14th century social reformer Basavanna, Gandhi said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah responded to his request to waive loans of farmers in June last year.
“Unlike Modi, Siddaramaiah walks the walk and waived crop loans (totalling Rs 8,165 crore) of over 22 lakh farmers who borrowed about Rs 50,000 each from state cooperative banks,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi claimed that while the Modi government allotted Rs 55,000 crore for social welfare schemes across the country, the Karnataka government alone had spent half that amount (Rs 27,500 crore) for the benefit its the state’s people from its resources.
Accusing the Modi government of failing to create 2 crore jobs per annum the Bharatiya Janata Party promised ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi said unemployment and the farm crisis were major challenges facing the nation.
“The BJP-led government has failed to create jobs, bring black money from abroad to the country and weakened the economy by demonetising currency (in November 2016) and hastily introducing Goods and Services Tax (GST) since July 1,” the Congress leader added.
Referring to Modi’s talk on corruption, Gandhi said the Prime Minister had forgotten that the first BJP government (2008-13) in the state, led by B.S. Yeddyurappa, was the “most corrupt”.
Yeddyurappa resigned on July 31, 2011, after the anti-graft body (Lokayukta/Ombudsman) found him involved in the multi-crore mining scam in the state.
Gandhi’s 30-minute speech in Hindi was simultaneously translated in the native language Kannada for the benefit of the audience.
Besides Siddaramaiah, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, party’s state unit President G. Parameshwara and others were present at the public meeting.
–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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