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Petrol prices fuel protests by Congress, NCP in Maharashtra

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Mumbai, May 24 (IANS) The opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday took to the streets in Mumbai and other places in Maharashtra to protest against record prices of petrol and diesel.

Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam led a huge protest march of party activists and citizens from Santa Cruz East on the busy Western Express Highway to the Mumbai Suburban District Collectorate in Bandra East.

En route, the protestors — carrying banners and placards — raised slogans against the central government.

They recalled the old tweets of Narendra Modi when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister, Sushma Swaraj and other BJP leaders when they were in opposition, as well as those of Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar who had strongly criticised the then UPA government over increased fuel prices.

“Now, it’s the Congress turn to question them, just like many are doing on the social media, over their complete silence even as the prices of petrol and diesel have touched all-time high in the country and in Maharashtra,” Nirupam said.

He and other speakers pointed out that the shooting petrol and diesel prices had hit not only the commuters, but also the household spendings as vegetables, grains and other essentials had shot up by more than 25 per cent, which was nothing but “looting the people of the country daily”.

“The Congress has been demanding since long to bring petrol and diesel within the Goods and Services Tax purview, which can easily reduce the huge burden of local cesses and dealer commissions and bring a significant decrease in fuel prices. For doing this, the government doesn’t have to depend on global prices of oil, as it is claiming now,” Nirupam said.

NCP state President Jayant Patil attacked the Centre, saying “the costliest fuel in the world is sold in India, and in India, the costliest fuel is sold in Maharashtra.”

“The fuel prices in the country have broken all records. The promise of ‘Achhe Din’ was a ‘jumla’ and the BJP leaders who used to protest loudly in the past don’t even give a simple explanation for this now,” Patil said sharply.

Protests were also held in Pune, Dhule, and other cities in which the Congress and NCP workers, common people, small businessmen and farmers participated in large numbers, braving hot weather conditions.

At some places, the protestors symbolically ‘hanged’ motorcycles or scooters which they couldn’t afford to ply any longer. At other places, protesters rode bicycles to highlight the zooming fuel prices while many others walked along.

On Thursday, petrol and diesel prices in Amravati stood at Rs 86.52/Rs 74.15, in Aurangabad Rs 86.23/Rs 73.91, in Solapur Rs 86.14/Rs 73.84, in Nashik Rs 85.95/Rs 73.84, in Akola Rs 85.57/Rs 72.08, in Navi Mumbai Rs 85.35/Rs 73.02, in Mumbai Rs 85.29/Rs 72.96, and in Pune Rs 85.01/Rs 71.58 respectively.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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