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SC to EC: If voters list in text mode given in Rajasthan, why not in Madhya Pradesh
New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) The supreme Court on Friday asked the Election Commission to explain why it has not provided the draft voters’ list in text mode to various parties in Madhya Pradesh if it has done so in Rajasthan.
The court’s poser to the EC came in the course of hearing of a plea by congress leaders Kamal Nath and Sachin Pilot seeking a series of directions, including on the corrected voters’ list, which they said is dotted with multiple entries of the same voters.
Asserting that the “electoral rolls have to be pure”, the bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan asked the Election Commission: “If you have done it in Rajasthan, why not Madhya Pradesh?”
Kamal Nath is President of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, while Sachin Pilot heads the party’s Rajasthan unit.
Appearing for Kamal Nath, senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the court that the Election Commission was under mandate to provide the draft voters’ list in text mode.
Another senior counsel, Anoop Chaudhary, told the bench that in 2013, the EC had provided the list in text mode in Madhya Pradesh and the same was provided in the recent Karnataka assembly elections.
Singhvi contested the EC submission that it had provided the list in the PDF format.
EC’s submission was that it was not providing the list in text format to protect privacy of the voters. Singhvi told the court what has been provided are scanned copies of the voters’ list. He dared the EC to give the technology by which the list could be verified.
Asking the EC to file its response, the court directed next hearing of the matter on September 10.
Congress leader Kamal Nath has moved the top court seeking directions to the Election Commission to carry out verification of VVPAT units in at least 10 per cent randomly selected booths in each constituency of Madhya Pradesh ahead of the Assembly polls.
The Congress leader has also sought directions to the Election Commission to expeditiously decide all complaints and publish the voters’ list.
He has also demanded that the EC be prohibited from deleting the names from voters’ lists without informing the political parties.
–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
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.