Manmohan Singh was successful PM and father of economic reforms, says Gujarat CM
Gandhinagar, Feb 19 (PTI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday recalled late Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's contribution to give impetus to the economy and praised him for successfully leading the country from 2004 to 2014.
On the first day of the Budget session of the state legislative assembly, Patel paid tributes to Singh, who passed away at 92 last December.
As per the convention, tributes were paid to departed leaders on the first day of the session.
"Manmohan Singh, who studied economics in top educational institutions like Cambridge and Oxford, held key positions in past governments, such as finance secretary, Reserve Bank's governor and as the chairman of University Grants Commission," Patel said.
Singh also served as a member of Rajya Sabha for six terms from 1991 till 2024. He was the leader of the opposition in the upper house of Parliament from 1998 till 2004, said the CM.
"Economic reforms brought by Singh in 1991 as finance minister played an important role in giving pace to the Indian economy. As the 14th prime minister of India, Dr Singh successfully led the country from 2004 to 2014," Patel said.
He further said Singh was known across the globe as the "father of economic reforms" for his role in promoting the policy of comprehensive economic reforms in India.
Singh was conferred with many awards, including Padma Vibhushan for his contribution to the country, he added.
Patel said India lost an eminent economist and a noble leader, who led the country towards economic prosperity, in Singh.
Addressing the House, Congress Legislative Party leader Amit Chavda claimed numerous allegations of corruption were raised against Singh but none of them was proved.
"However, without harbouring any grudge, Singh never responded to such allegations. He replied through his remarkable work," he added.
Chavda said that instead of a politician, the people of India and the world remember Singh more as an able administrator.
"Singh created a foundation for economic reforms through liberalisation and globalisation," he said.
Chavda credited Singh for steering India out of the difficult situation when the world was battling a slowdown in 1990.
"India was also struggling because of dwindling foreign reserves and was on the brink of economic collapse. At that time, the only solution was to mortgage our gold reserve to avoid default.
"Thanks to the decisions taken by Dr Singh as finance minister, India not only came out of that difficult situation, our economy also found a new direction due to reforms brought by Dr Singh," said Chavda.
He said welfare laws and policies, including MNREGA, Food Security Act, Right To Information Act, and Right to Education Act, would be remembered as Singh's legacy.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Four booked for tying 18-year-old to tree, beating him up in UP's Pratapgarh
Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): Four people were booked here for the abduction and assault of a man who they allegedly tied to a tree and beat up, police said on Wednesday.
The incident, a video of which has gone viral, took place on Tuesday afternoon under the Kunda police station limits.
The FIR was registered on Wednesday evening based on a complaint from the victim's father.
According to Keshav Prasad Yadav, a resident of Mauli village, some people called his 18-year-old son Nikhil Yadav on the phone and asked him to come out of his house around 2.30 pm on Tuesday.
As he reached outside the village as instructed, the accused allegedly forced him into a car and took him towards the Tinpedwa forest area, where they tied him to a tree and assaulted, the complainant said.
The attackers also recorded a video of the incident and circulated it on social media. The purported video shows the men thrashing Nikhil one after another, while one of them is assumed to have recorded the act.
Kunda Station House Officer Manoj Pandey confirmed the incident and said efforts are underway to identify and arrest all the accused.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has shared the video on social media, describing the incident as reflective of a "dominant mindset" against the PDA (Pichda or Backward, Dalit, and Alpasankhyak or Minority), and demanded strict action against the accused.
_vb_80.png)
