National
Power, Skill Development Ministries join to scale up electrification drive
New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) In a first of its kind institutional arrangement, the government on Tuesday launched a programme of skill development to speedily implement its Saubhagya scheme for universal household electrification with the Power and Skill Development Ministries joining hands for the purpose.
The two ministries are pooling their resources in this initiative to meet the target of the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, or Saubhagya, launched last year aimed at providing power to all homes by March 2019.
“The power sector will be immensely helped by this. The lack of skilled manpower was standing in the way of Saubhagya,” Power Minister R.K. Singh said at a press conference here he addressed alongwith Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Citing the example of his home state of Bihar where only a handful of homes were being connected on a daily basis, Singh said the pace of electrification required to be “speeded up”.
“For this we need skilled manpower, and not only for Saubhagya but also other programmes Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and IPDS (Integrated Power Development Scheme).”
While DDUGJY is designed to provide continuous power supply to rural India, the IPDS aims at strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution networks in the urban areas.
“We intend to spend Rs 1 lakh crore on skill development for these various schemes and we’ll need 5,000 lakh man-days to implement the programme,” Singh said.
He also said the technical training would be provided as per a drawn up calender at the district headquarters and mobile training camps are also being arranged.
Noting that Saubhagya has the target of bringing electricity to four crore households by end-March next year, Pradhan said the power and skill development ministries of states are equal stakeholders in this initiative with the Centre.
“Of this Rs 1 lakh crore budget, 25 per cent has been set aside for wages and contractor margins,” he said.
“This is the first time such an institutional arragement has been made to scale up skill quality,” he added.
The programme will be jointly administered by the Rural Electrification Corporation and National Skill Development Council.
–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.