National
Maharashtra CMO gulps over 18,500 cups tea daily, Congress terms it scam (Lead)
Mumbai, March 28 (IANS) The Congress’s Mumbai unit on Wednesday alleged a massive “Tea Scam” in Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) where daily, an average of 18,500 cups of the hot beverage are served, costing nearly Rs.3.35 crore.
However, hours later, the CMO denied the allegations hurled by Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam.
Furnishing RTI documents, Nirupam said there has been a dramatic and steady increase in the amount of expenses incurred on tea consumption in the CMO in the past three years.
Citing RTI replies, he said the amount spent on tea has risen from Rs 57,99,156 in 2015-2016 to Rs 1,20,92,972 in 2016-2017 and then Rs 3,34,64,905 (almost Rs.3.35 crore) in 2017-18.
“This is a staggering increase of 577 per cent. It means that on an average, daily a whopping 18,591 cups of tea are served in CMO… How is it possible?” he asked.
In a defence, the CMO spokesperson informed that the said expenses did not pertain merely to serving tea, but also snacks, meals, refreshments served at cabinet meetings, flowers and garlands for felicitations, gifts, shawls, coconuts at various departmental meetings, functions and for delegations.
Besides, the expenses cited in the RTI reply included not only Mantralaya (the state government’s headquarters in Mumbai), but also CM’s official residence ‘Varsha’, the Sahyadri Government Guest House, the CM’s official residence Ramgiri in Nagpur and the Hyderabad House there.
Justifying the hike in expenditure, the CMO pointed out there has been “a stupendous increase in the number of visitors meeting (Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra) Fadnavis, Indian and foreign delegations, business groups and prominent personalities.”
Responding, Nirupam said that the RTI query pertained specifically to tea and snacks, so how come all these other expenses at multiple locations came to be included by the CMO now, and termed it as “unbelievable”.
Earlier, seeking to know “what kind of tea is Fadnavis drinking, since we have heard of only green tea, yellow tea and so on”, Nirupam sarcastically observed that “the CM and CMO seem to be indulging in some kind of highly expensive ‘golden’ tea’ to mount up such a huge bill”.
In contrast, he said it’s an irony that farmers are dying daily in Maharashtra, but the CMO seems to be incurring an unprecedented expense on “serving tea worth crores of rupees”.
Alleging corruption in the tea bills of the CMO, he said: “On one hand, the Prime Minister takes great pride in saying that he was a ‘Chaiwala’. On the other hand, Fadnavis has clearly taken this a bit too far with the massive and unnecessary expense incurred on serving tea in his office. Both the PM and the Maharashtra CM are taking the country for a ride in the name of chai.”
To a question whether its practical or feasible to serve tea to more than 18,000 people in the CMO every day, Nirupam quipped that “those Mantralaya rats must be drinking it all up…!”
He was referring to an alleged scam highlighted by Bharatiya Janata Party ex-minister Eknath Khadse, who claimed that around 319,400 rats were eliminated in just one week in Mantralaya.
Later, the state government said he was referring to 319,400 doses of rat poison which were deployed in Mantralaya to kill the rodents.
Nirupam said the huge expenses or the inflated bills for serving tea at the CMO is happening right under the CM’s nose and needs to be probed as it is done at the cost of honest tax payers’ money.
–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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