Firozabad (Uttar Pradesh), May 13: Though the Central government has said all villages in the country have been electrified, there is one village (could be more) in this Uttar Pradesh district that is still waiting for power lines.
Nagla Khushal, which falls under Milawali gram panchayat of Eka block and has around 50 families with a population of over 400, paints a picture of utter neglect.
The sulabh shauchalayas (public toilets) are half-built, water supply doesn't exist and there is total darkness after sunset, transporting the whole area to the dark ages, activist Omkar Bhardwaj told IANS.
Firozabad is 50 km from Taj city Agra and is famous for its glass industry.
When a group of villagers presented a memorandum to the district authorities, the response was callous, Bhardwaj said.
District Magistrate Neha Sharma told IANS: "We will get this checked and send a report to the department concerned."
However, Executive Superintendent of the Electricity Department Shailendra Katiyar said "under the Prime Minister's Saubhagya Yojana, all villages have to be supplied power 24x7.
"This particular village appears to have been left out as the number of families is small. But we will send our team and ensure electricity reached the village as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, Sub-Divisional Officer (rural) Jasrana has visited the village and assured that work would commence soon.
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New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
