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Cabinet nod to hand over ITDC hotels in Gulmarg, Patna to states
New Delhi,, Sep 26 (IANS) The Centre on Wednesday decided to transfer an incomplete ITDC hotel project — Gulmarg Ashok in Gulmarg — to the Jammu and Kashmir government, and the Hotel Patliputra Ashok in Patna to the Bihar government, as part of its disinvestment policy.
Briefing reporters here following a Cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that it had earlier been decided that where state governments were not agreeable to jointly lease or sub-lease hotel properties together with the Central government, such properties may be returned to the states at their officially valued price.
“In continuation of Centre’s disinvestment policy, the Cabinet has approved transfers of incomplete project of Hotel Gulmarg Ashok, Gulmarg, and Hotel Patliputra Ashok, Patna, to the respective state governments,” Jaitley said.
He said that some of the old India Tourism Development Corp (ITDC) hotels had already been privatised.
“As per the disinvestment policy of the Government of India, it had been decided to lease /sublease the ITDC hotels / properties / units / joint ventures jointly with the state governments,” a Tourism Ministry statement said.
The policy of returning the properties to the states where they were not agreeable to joint leasing with the Centre “had been formulated keeping in view that running and managing hotels on professional lines is not the job of government or its entities”, it said.
To date, the ITDC has transferred hotels Lake View Ashok (Bhopal), Brahmaputra Ashok (Guwahati), Bharatpur Ashok (Bharatpur), Janpath (New Delhi), Lalitha Mahal Palace (Mysore), Donyi Polo Ashok (Itanagar) and Jaipur Ashok (Jaipur) to the respective state governments, the statement added.
–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.