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Thousands of farmers spent night under open sky
By Nivedita K. Singh
Ghaziabad, Oct 2 (IANS) Thousands of farmers from across Uttar Pradesh spent Monday night on the roads under the open sky here as they were not allowed to enter the national capital — their destination for protest.
A group of about 150 women farmers from Sultanpur — situated at a distance of 140 km from the Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow — came in trains and buses to support the demands raised by the farmers.
“We came here as the farmers are facing issues and there is no one to listen to us. I came with my entire family including my daughter-in-law and a six-month-old granddaughter,” Shamlalli, 55, told IANS on Tuesday morning. Both her husband and son are farmers.
Recalling her experience of spending a night on the roadside, she said although they live in the open, this was difficult.
“We are not used to living inside rooms but sleeping in traffic was different. Plus, we heard the city is unsafe for women, so we were also really worried,” the woman said.
Not only ladies, but teenage girls were also part of the gathering of farmers who marched under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union.
“How can they think that we can be dangerous? We only want the government to address our issues,” she added.
Echoing her, 32-year-old Rashmi Yadav said: “The authorities decided to stop us even after knowing for long that we will be here.
“First, no one is bothered about our demands, and now they are not even allowing us to protest and raise our issues,” Rashmi told IANS.
Claiming to be over 50,000 in number, BKU protesters were on a march from Haridwar in Uttarakhand to reach the national capital.
Asked how they managed the night, 47-year-old Jhalak Singh from Muzaffarnagar — 128 km from Delhi — said they did not expect to be stopped like this.
“We are farmers, we are not here to bother people but to raise our demands. Some of us came in cars, some in tractor-trolleys and some on buses and trains.
“We have made arrangements for our food and also brought sheets with us to sleep. But we were not expecting that we will be forced to spend the night on the sides of the main road. There were ladies with us as well,” he said.
The farmers have a charter of 15 demands including loan waiver and fair prices for crops, which they want implemented without delay.
The demands include complete loan waiver, revoking ban on 10-year-old tractors in the National Capital Region, reduction in electricity tariff, implementation of the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan Commission on remunerative prices and payment of sugarcane arrears among others.
The protesters started their 10-day march from Haridwar in Uttarakhand led by the BKU and on Tuesday they reached the Uttar Pradesh-Delhi border. There was heavy deployment of security forces at the border.
On Tuesday, as the thousands of farmers tried to enter Delhi, police stopped them on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, triggering violence that left some of them injured.
–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.