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Maharashtra to attempt to untie the tangled knot of Maratha quotas

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Mumbai, July 27 (IANS) The Maharashtra government has convened an all-party meeting on Saturday in a bid to disentangle the tangled knot of Maratha reservations which sparked a statewide agitation, at least three deaths, and resignations by five legislators.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance has assured suitable reservations to the politically significant Maratha community during its current tenure, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to hammer out the nitty-gritties of the issue at the meeting.

There has been a clamour from several Maratha groups, the opposition Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and even some leaders of the ruling combine to convene a special session of Maharashtra legislature to discuss and resolve the issue, besides involving the Central government.

On Friday evening, Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil met and deliberated on the issue in detail with retired Justice M. G. Gaikwad, the head of Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC).

On Thursday night, Fadnavis chaired a meeting of his senior cabinet ministers and BJP state president Raosaheb Danve-Patil to work out a solution to the Maratha reservations issue on which sporadic protests continued for the fifth day on Friday.

“Our government is fully committed to providing reservations to the Maratha community and has even promulgated an Ordinance on this. However, there is a court stay on this. We will submit a report of the MSBCC to the court and plea to decide the issue soon,” Patil said.

To ensure that the state government’s proposal to give a 16 percent reservations in government jobs and education sector pass the court test, the MSBCC has been entrusted with the job of collecting data on the socio-economic status of the Maratha community.

He said so far the MSBCC has received over 187,000 representations and the survey work is likely to be completed by August-end.

Meanwhile, Congress state President Ashok Chavan on Friday called upon Shiv Sena to withdraw support to the BJP government in order to build pressure on it to resolve the Maratha quota issue.

“The previous Congress-NCP regime had given quotas to the Marathas and Muslim communities, but the BJP-Sena government could not protect it, and it took them 17 months merely to file one affidavit,” Chavan said in a fresh salvo.

He demanded that the state government withdraw all cases filed against Marathas for the recent agitation in the state and stop the ongoing combing operations in which innocent youth are being targeted.

So far, five legislators from various parties have either quit or offered to quit on the ticklish issue that has snowballed into a major political crisis ahead of the 2019 elections.

The include Harshawardhan Jadhav (Shiv Sena), BJP’s Seema Hirey and Rahul Aher, and opposition Congress’ Bharat Bhalke and NCP’s Bhausaheb Chikatgaonkar and Ramesh Kadam.

–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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