Manmohan Singh left 'big imprint' on country's economy: CM Siddaramaiah
Belagavi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away on December 26, has left a "big imprint" on the country's economy.
Calling him "the most respected man", the CM recalled Singh as a simple, gentleman and honest politician.
Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms, died in New Delhi on Thursday night. He was 92.
"Singh's life, in a way, is a miracle. He was born in a small village in today's Pakistan and went on to become one of the country's and the world's renowned economist. He was finance minister in Narasimha Rao cabinet and through liberalisation and privatisation, he opened up the Indian economy and there by resolved the financial crisis that the country was facing," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, in 2004, Sonia Gandhi chose Singh as the prime minister, the responsibility he held for ten years, uplifting the country both economically and socially.
"He is among the honest prime ministers the country has seen. He has left a big imprint on the country's economy. His life and work towards shaping the country's economy is an inspiration to all of us," he added.
Stating that Singh never had intoxication of power, Siddaramaiah said, he was a simple, gentleman and honest politician.
"He was the most respected man. He lived with dignity and respect in politics. Such a person has departed. His death is a big loss for India. I pray to the Almighty that he give strength to Singh's family, friends and well-wishers to bear the loss," he said.
Singh introduced the Food Security Act to ensure that the poor get food grains at a cheaper cost, the CM said, and added that, "after this law was enacted, I brought in a scheme in Karnataka to provide rice at Re 1 to poor, later that was changed to free 5 kg of rice."
"Today, if Narendra Modi-led NDA government is providing 5 kg of free rice to the poor the reason for it is Manmohan Singh. During Singh's tenure as PM he worked keeping in mind poor," he added.
Noting that he shared a good relationship with Singh as he was PM during his first stint as CM, Siddaramaiah said, he had lauded state's economy and government's schemes.
Singh's death was announced on Thursday night by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, where he was admitted in the Emergency ward around 8.30 PM in a critical condition.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
