No, BJP ministers, MPs did not give Rs 25 crore cheque toward Kerala floods
“BJP ministers and MPs donate for Kerala, don’t say that you have not received anything (translated),” reads a post shared by one Sreekumar Sreedharannair on Facebook. The caption is accompanied with an image of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accepting a Rs 25 crore cheque. He is surrounded by several people, including BJP MP V. Muraleedharan and Alphons Kannanthanam, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism. The post has been shared over 10,000 times.
A few individual users on social media have also circulated the image with the identical narrative of BJP ministers donating money to CM Vijayan toward Kerala flood relief.
Money donated by oil companies
The Rs 25 crore cheque was not donated by BJP ministers, but central petroleum public sector companies on August 21. Since the cheque was presented to the Kerala CM by BJP MPs, they have been photographed together. This has assisted the narrative floating on social media that it is BJP MPs who have donated this sum to the flood-ravaged state.
BJP MP Muraleedharan had tweeted that he “handed over the cheque on behalf of oil marketing companies.” The same was also tweeted by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited.
Sh. @alphonstourism Hon. MoS Tourism (I/C), handed over contribution cheque of Rs. 25 crore from Oil Marketing Companies in Kerala for Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund to Sh. @vijayanpinarayi @CMOKerala#KeralaFloodRelief #KeralaWeAreWithYou@dpradhanbjp @PetroleumMin pic.twitter.com/lU0IhzCZB5
— Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (@HPCL) August 21, 2018
With Kerala reeling under devastating floods, a lot of misinformation related to relief work is circulating on social media, including a hoard of images and videos, often with the objective of political one-upmanship. It would be prudent to cross-check claims on social media with mainstream media reports.
courtesy : altnews.in
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Kerala Assembly pays homage to former PM Manmohan Singh
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The Kerala Assembly on Monday paid homage to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who died last month, and described him as a unique personality, able administrator, brilliant economist, and a determined patriot.
Cutting across politics, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer and other leaders hailed the contribution of Singh in various fields.
The 13th session of the 15th Kerala Assembly, which began on Friday, was adjourned on Monday after paying tribute to the former Prime Minister.
During his speech, Chief Minister Vijayan recalled that apart from being the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh was known in many capacities as an internationally renowned economist, exemplary teacher, and eminent bureaucrat, and as the country's finance minister.
There may not be another person who has held all the pivotal positions that shape India's economic policy, he said.
The CM especially mentioned about the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Right to Information Act launched by Singh's government.
Though the CPI(M) had some differences of opinion about certain policies of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, his stand for protecting constitutional values and the democratic system of the country was commendable, Vijayan further said.
Through the demise of Singh, the country had lost a gentle and determined patriot and a brilliant economist who firmly believed in secular values, he said.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan recalled various initiatives implemented by Singh in finding out solutions to the problems faced by common people.
He said Singh was a leader who strongly upheld the secular and democratic values and the one who had unwavering commitment and dedication towards the country.
During the address in the House, the Congress leader also said that Singh had courageously implemented the economic reforms in the country despite criticisms, and it had helped the nation progress financially.
Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer also said that the country had lost a brilliant economist and a determined statesman.
Singh's contributions to nation building as a finance minister and a Prime Minister went beyond his financial expertise, Shamseer added.
Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, on December 26 at the age of 92.
