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Rahul promises minimum income guarantee for poor if voted to power (Lead)
Raipur, Jan 28 (IANS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday made a major bid to woo the poor ahead of the Lok Sabha elections by promising a minimum income guarantee for every poor person if the Congress is voted to power.
“We cannot build a new India while millions of our brothers and sisters suffer the scourge of poverty. If voted to power in 2019, the Congress is committed to a minimum income guarantee for every poor person, to help eradicate poverty and hunger. This is our vision and our promise,” he told a farmers rally here.
Gandhi said that no government in the world had taken such a step.
The Congress chief’s statement was described by former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram as “historic” that will mark a turning point in the lives of the poor.
In its original concept, Indian policymakers conducted two important studies testing the impact of UBI through unconditional cash transfers in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi between 2011 and 2012. The experiment gave 100 randomly-selected households 1,000 rupees per month. The money was deposited under the name of the female head of participating households in a bank.
The idea got prominence after Arvind Subramanian, as the then Chief Economic Adviser, pushed it in a big way in the pre-budget Economic Survey of 2017 which included a 40-page chapter on UBI that outlined the three components of the proposed program–universality, unconditionality and agency.
Incidentally on Monday, Subramanian released a report co-authored by him which proposed a quasi-universal basic rural income (QUBRI) of Rs 18,000 per year to each rural household, except those which are “demonstrably well-off”, at an estimated cost of Rs. 2.64 lakh crore to tackle agrarian distress.
Speaking at the Raipur meeting, Gandhi also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP alleging that while they had no money to waive loans of farmers, they had no hesitation to cancel loans of industrialists.
He said the new Congress government took a decision in 24 hours to waive farmers’ loans in Chhattisgarh, something the BJP could not do in 15 years.
“Whenever we spoke of loan waiver, the BJP said they don’t have money. In Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Chouhan said he does not have money. In Delhi, Prime Minister Modi said he does not have money. They don’t have money for farmers’ loan waiver but they can waive loans of India’s 15 richest industrialists,” Gandhi said.
Criticising the Prime Minister, Gandhi said Modi was creating an India of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya.
“He is taking money from the Indian Air Force and putting it in the pocket of an industrialist,” he said referring to the controversial Rafale deal.
“We do not want two Indias that the BJP is trying to create — one for the industrialists where they get everything and another for poor farmers which has nothing for them except listening to ‘Mann ki Baat’,” he said, referring to Modi’s monthly radio programme.
The Congress President added that the BJP tried to dilute the Congress’ land acquisition bill which guaranteed four times the price of land to farmers compared to the market price and also ensured that if industrialists did not start work in five years, the land would be returned to farmers.
–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.
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