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Goyal urges Coal India to meet daily production target (Lead)
Kolkata, Nov 1 (IANS) Coming down heavily on Coal India’s employees for not meeting the requirement of the country, Union Coal Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday urged them to take “sincere steps” to reach the per-day target of 2.5 million tonnes of production and dispatch.
“We have huge challenges ahead of us to meet the demand for the vital product, particularly when the economic growth is rapid and the demand for coal is increasing at a fast pace,” he said.
Growth of coal production in 2016-17 and 2017-18 remained at a low level and today the country is facing “the stress” because of that, Goyal said, adding that prior to FY17, it was increasing at a reasonable rate.
“Even, today we are growing by at about 10 per cent and my fear is that the rate of growth is not good enough. Very soon, we may slip to a single-digit growth unless all of us collectively decide that we will not let that happen,” he said at the miner’s 44th Foundation day Celebration.
“I would urge all my colleagues in Coal India and various subsidiaries to seriously look at what steps each one of us can take so that we can reach the 2.5 million tonne production-and-dispatch target per day,” he said.
The centre is hopeful that within the next 3-4 months, every single home will have electricity and like to provide them 24×7 uninterrupted power supply.
“It will not possible unless Coal India lives up to the expectation,” he said.
Goyal said the fuel cannot continue to be imported when the country has a reserve of over 300 billion tonnes of coal.
“Unless and until, the country becomes self-dependant in coal, there is no room for complacency,” he said.
“We have a large amount of coking coal in Ranigunj and Jharia, where we must address the issues of rehabilitation so that this coking coal starts serving our iron and steel industry,” he said.
Referring to Thursday’s cabinet meeting, Goyal said some of his colleagues in the central government made comments about inadequate coal supplies, which caused embarrassment to him.
He appealed to the miner to improve adoption of technologies so that coal companies can do scientific and efficient mining and also to improve working conditions of workmen.
“It is a matter of shame that only contractors’ workers give us productions, not our workmen. It is truly an unacceptable situation,” Goyal said.
He, however, praised workers for improving the quality of the fuel over the last four years.
“Today, we don’t have the kind of quality complaints we used to have 4-5 years ago. Grade slippages have almost become a thing of the past, particularly after the third-party sampling which has given assurance to the consumers of Coal India that even if there was a slippage of coal, they would not have to pay for it,” he 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.