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Meet Modi over dangers of Electricity Act amendments: Kejriwal to BJP CMs
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday urged his counterparts from BJP- and NDA-ruled states to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apprise him about the “dangers” related to the proposed amendments to the Electricity Act, 2003.
Calling the amendments “anti-federal”, Kejriwal also wrote that he know “it won’t be easy for you (CMs) to speak against this”.
The letter, written to the Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tripura, Bihar, Nagaland and Meghalaya, also claimed that the amendments would render states powerless in the field of electricity.
“I know you belong to the BJP alliance and it won’t be easy for you to speak against this amendments. But I request you to kindly meet the PM personally and apprise him of the dangers of this amendment,” he said.
“Centre wants to pass the dangerous amendments in the winter session. If passed it would be disastrous,” he added.
“All powers will be with the Centre if the amendment is passed. State governments won’t be (able) to take any decision in the matters of electricity,” he said.
He warned the CMs that the amendments would push up power tariffs.
“The poor and the middle class would be hit very hard… Centre wants to end cross subsidy. Almost all the states use cross subsidy to give cheap/free power to farmers and charge industries/commercial units more,” he said.
He also said that the amendments, if passed, would make power tariffs the same for farmers, industries, commercial, residential and agricultural customers and Delhi will have to pay Rs 7.50 per unit.
“Citizens of Delhi who use up to 200 units are charged Rs 1 per unit while those using up to 400 units are charged Rs 2.50 per unit. Once this amendment is done, both the categories will have to pay Rs 7.50 per unit.
“This would hit around 90 per cent of all consumers in Delhi hard. The amendment would lead to huge increase in tariffs all across the country immediately for small and medium consumers as well as farmers,” he said.
“The AAP government has been able to keep power tariffs the cheapest in Delhi as we have the powers to do so. Once these powers are snatched, we would be helpless and the common man of Delhi and all over the country will suffer,” he added.
Addressing the media last week, Kejriwal had said the proposed amendments to the Electricity Act, 2003, were “very dangerous” and aimed at benefiting “a few power companies” at the cost of the people.
–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.