National
Fadnavis ‘sold out’ Maharashtra’s interests on IFSC: Congress
Mumbai, March 24 (IANS) A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the Assembly that he would build an International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) here, the Congress on Saturday termed it as “an absolute lie” and accused him of selling out the state’s interests.
“This is an absolute lie and the CM is simply fooling the people of Mumbai and Maharashtra. It is clearly impossible to build an IFSC in the Bandra Kurla Complex since a business hub of this magnitude requires an area of at least 50 hectares as stipulated by international norms,” Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam said.
Accusing Fadnavis of having “sold out” the state’s interests to further Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Gujarat concerns, he demanded to know whether there is such a huge space available in the BKC to set up a world-class IFSC.
“From the CM’s statement in the assembly, it appears he intends to build another World Trade Centre at best and pass it off as an IFSC… This is like taking the people of Mumbai for a ride,” he said.
Nirupam pointed out that it was under the erstwhile UPA Government that Mumbai was selected to set up the country’s first IFSC on the lines of New York, London, Dubai, Singapore, Shanghai or Tokyo.
However, this was shifted to Gujarat after the Bharatiya Janata Party assumed power in 2014, causing a huge potential loss of business to Mumbai.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had also categorically stated in Parliament that the proposed IFSC will be developed only in Gujarat and the country cannot have multiple such centres.
“This is the truth and all that Fadnavis is speaking now is to mask the truth and comtradicting his own party’s finance minister,” Nirupam said.
It was during the UPA regime that a special panel of the World Bank in 2007 had submitted a report selected Mumbai as the IFSC’s site.
However soon after the Modi government came to power, the IFSC was moved to the neigbouring state as ‘Gujarat International Financial Tec-City’ (GIFT), to the detriment of Mumbai, Nirupam added.
In fact, on January 11 this year, Reserve Bank Of India Governor Urjit Patel celebrated the successful establishment of India’s first ever IFSC at the GIFT City, in Gandhinagar.
Terming it as the first such IFSC in the world to be launched after the 2008 global financial crisis, Patel said the RBI is working closely with all the stakeholders on diverse subjects for the development of the GIFT city.
In October, the Global Financial Centres Index 22 listed GIFT-IFSC at the 10th rank – ahead of Luxembourg, Seoul, Abu Dhabi, Toronto and Beijing – of the 15 IFSCs in the world, and growing at a rapid pace.
–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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