“Yuva For Sewa” starts project “Suryoday” in Koraput with its first village Bedaguda

20th November 2011
A group of volunteers of Yuva for Sewa (YfS), went to a remote tribal village Bedaguda under Tankua Panchayat on top of the hills of Koraput on 20th November, 2011 to give eco friendly solar lanterns for free to the villagers under the project “Suryoday”. YfS is a charitable trust run by young volunteers with an aim of making youths more and more involved in charitable works.
With its project “Suryoday” which was inaugurated by its esteemed patron Dr. P.K. Mishra, Ex-IAS on 2nd June, 2011, YFS has made a plan for Odisha to completely replace the kerosene lanterns with its unique environment friendly cost effective solar lanterns by 2020. Through donations received from individual donors, the organisation is availing solar lanterns to poor and needy people who are still staying in remotest of the areas which are un-electrified and has not been covered under any central (RGGVY, RVEP) or state scheme (BGJY) till date.


Odisha has got many households who do not have the proper energy sources to lightify their homes or for cooking purpose. Still today, many houses in the rural areas are burning kerosene to lightify their houses. It includes the school going children. The General Secretary of YfS Mr. Chandrashekhar Mishra said that, “using kerosene lanterns has two negative effects - firstly, to run a kerosene lantern for 4 hours, an individual spends around Rs.2 to Rs.5 minimum per day. This is an additional financial burden on the family. Secondly, burning kerosene produces CO2, which remains within the house and people including the children inhale it. As a return it can bring serious health problems”.
Further the YFS local volunteer, Mr. Santosh Das said, “with this project we will try to make more and more youngsters involved and can execute such work in another 40 villages identified in the district of Koraput and Malkangiri, collectively.

शक्ति के बल पर नहीं, आध्यात्मिक चिंतन से खड़ा होगा भारत’

शक्ति के बल पर नहीं, आध्यात्मिक चिंतन से खड़ा होगा भारत’

नागौर ७ नवम्बर सह सरकार्यवाह दतात्रेय होसबले ने कहा कि वर्तमान में भारत के नौजवान आज विश्व के सभी देशों में अग्रगण्य भूमिका निभा रहे हैं। देश में आज 35 करोड़ युवा शक्ति है जो विश्व में सर्वाधिक है।
वे शारदा बालिका निकेतन स्कूल में बुधवार को तरुण विद्यार्थी सम्मेलन में संबोधित कर रहे थे। होसबले ने कहा कि हर क्षेत्र में अथक प्रयास व मेहनत की जरूरत है। रोजगार की संभावनाएं आज कैसी है। हम सब जानते हैं। देश के हालात किसी से छुपे नहीं हैं। कृषि प्रधान देश में किसान कर्ज तले डूब कर खुदकुशी कर रहे ं हैं। व्यापारी वर्ग नाखुश है। चारों तरफ असंतोष बोल रहा है। लोकतंत्र में बंदूक उठाने के बजाय एकजुटता से वातावरण में समरसता का प्रसार किया जाए तो ही शांति कायम होगी।
वर्तमान का भारतीय नौजवान मेडिकल, इंजीनियरिंग, सॉफ्टवेयर, मैनेजमेंट के क्षेत्र में दुनिया में अग्रणी है। उन्होंने तरुण स्वयं सेवकों से वृक्षारोपण, रक्तदान आदि सामाजिक सरोकार के कार्य करने का आह्वान करते हुए नैतिक व चरित्र की बुनियाद पर खड़े होकर जीवन का उदाहरण प्रस्तुत करने का आह्वान किया। सम्मेलन के दौरान छात्रों ने दतात्रेय होसबले से सवाल जवाब कर अपनी जिज्ञासा शांत की।

भारत शक्ति के बल पर नहीं बल्कि अपने आध्यात्मिक चिंतन से खड़ा होगा। भारत का यह प्रबलीकरण दुनिया को अपने आध्यात्मिक दीपक से आलोकित करने के लिए होगा। देश में धार्मिक व सांस्कृतिक जागृति का पुनर्जागरण हुआ है। शहर के शारदा बालिका निकेतन स्कूल के सभागार में संत जानकीदास महाराज के सान्निध्य में बुधवार को आयोजित प्रबुद्ध नागरिक सम्मेलन में राष्ट्रीय स्वयं सेवक संघ के सह सरकार्यवाह दत्तात्रेय होसबले ने कहा कि सभी में ईश्वर का अंश देखने वाला भारतीय जन अपने जीवन में छुआछूत व भेदभाव का व्यवहार करता है तो यह उचित नहीं है। उन्होंने समकालीन भारतीय राजनीतिक परिदृश्य व भारत पर छाए संकटों पर विस्तार से बताया।

उन्होंने कहा कि देश में आमजन के मन में भ्रष्टाचार व देश की एकता की भावना है और यही वजह है कि लोग अन्ना व बाबा रामदेव के साथ जुड़े हैं। वर्तमान में शिक्षा में संस्कार की आवश्यकता महसूस की जाने लगी है। पर्यावरण को सुरक्षित बनाए रखने के लिए हमें जीवन शैली में बदलाव करना होगा। उन्होंने प्रबुद्ध जनों से अधिक चिंतनशील होने के साथ साथ क्रियाशील होने का आग्रह करते हुए भारतीय व्यवहार व चिंतन पद्धति का प्रारंभ अपने घर से ही करने का आग्रह किया।

संत जानकीदास महाराज ने कहा कि राष्ट्र को बलशाली बनाने के लिए स्वयं से बदलाव करने की शुरुआत करनी होगी। कार्यक्रम का संचालन हेमंत जोशी ने किया। सुखवंत खत्री ने आभार प्रकट किया। इस दौरान पालिका अध्यक्ष बिरदी चंद सांखला, भारत विकास परिषद के पूर्व संरक्षक शिवनारायण चौधरी, श्रीगोपाल चांडक, भाजपा प्रदेश मंत्री सरोज प्रजापत, मोहनराम चौधरी, ताराचंद सोनी, विद्या भारती बालिका शिक्षा की सह संयोजिका प्रमिला शर्मा आदि बड़ी संख्या में प्रबुद्धजन मौजूद थे।

CBI asked to take action on Gandhi family's black money accounts -- Dr Subramanian Swamy

According to Dr Swamy, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and his family has accounts abroad where they may have kept black money. He even alleged that Mr Gandhi was detained in the US for carrying $160,000 in cash without the mandatory declaration

Janata Party president Dr Subramanian Swamy has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to provide information on the black money account of the Gandhi family. In a letter written to AP Singh, director, CBI, Dr Swamy provided information relating to the disclosure of offences committed under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) about three incidents and requested the agency to record it as part of the first information report (FIR).

In the letter, Dr Swamy said, in November 1991 issue, Schweitzer Illustrate had published an article disclosing that former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had about $2 billion in secret bank accounts in Switzerland. “Although the information is two decades old, you are aware that there is no time limitation for corruption cases under the PCA. Also even if Rajiv Gandhi is now deceased, his likely beneficiaries are his wife, Sonia, and two children, two of whom are public servants,” the letter said.

Dr Swamy also said that Russian spy agency the KGB had paid some money to Mr Gandhi and his family. According to the letter, Russian scholar Dr Yevgenia Albats, in her book, ‘A State Within a State: KGB in Soviet Union’ disclosed the file numbers that contain evidence of the KGB payments to the then prime minister Mr Gandhi and his family members. In 2002 the then external affairs minister Jaswant Singh had taken this matter up with the Russians and was informed by the Russian authorities that the government of India may send a senior representative of the RAW to Moscow to obtain authenticated records of KGB payments to Mr Gandhi and his family, said the letter.

The Janata Party president also said that he had information that during the second half of 2001, Mr Gandhi was detained at Boston’s Logan Airport by US law enforcement authorities for possessing $160,000 in cash. However, Dr Swamy says, “The then principal secretary to the PM, Brijesh Mishra, to my knowledge, had intervened with the US Secretary of State, and arrangements were made get to Mr Gandhi released.”

“In his deposition to the US authorities before returning to London Mr Gandhi had declared that the money was his, and he had drawn it out of his secret account in Pictet Bank, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. I may mention here later that while studying in Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, USA, Mr Gandhi paid his tuition and other fees to the College from his secret accounts,” Dr Swamy alleged.

Muslims are victims of leadership: RSS's Dr Amrut Kadiwala

Muslims are victims of leadership: RSS's Dr Amrut Kadiwala

Dec 5, 2011, Paras K Jha & Jumana Shah

Dr Amrut Kadiwala, the outgoing chief (prant sanghchalak) of the Gujarat unit of the RSS, has just passed the baton to his younger colleague, Dr Jayanti Bhadesia. Kadiwala, who is 73 and currently member of the state RSS executive committee, has spent more than 60 years in the organisation. In an interview with DNA, he talked about his life in the Sangh, its ideology and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.

How do you look at Gujarat RSS's activities since you got associated with it?

I joined the Sangh when I was in Standard 5 in 1950. At that time, 100-125 shakhas were functional in Gujarat. Today the Sangh has its presence in all the districts of the state and nearly 90% of the talukas. If you consider a cluster of 10 villages as a mandala, it is active in 35-40% of the mandalas in the state. Overall, it has its presence in around 1,000 places in Gujarat.

What is the main work of the RSS?

Sangh's main work is to foster patriotism in the people of the country. And, for this, we aim at the overall development of the karyakarta or swayamsevak (worker or volunteer). We ensure his physical and intellectual development through one hour of shakha every day and different kinds of training.

What does the Sangh expect from this?

The Sangh's basic philosophy was outlined by its founder, Dr Hedgewar. He said that as Hindus comprise 85% of this country's population, if the Hindu community is united, cultured and patriotic, any problem that this country faces can be easily solved. So the Sangh has been working to raise awareness among Hindus and that work is still going on. To continue that work we prepare karykartas. Between 1925 and 1940, the Sangh has extended its work to all parts of the country.

Why did the RSS create a political party?

Till 1947, the Sangh worked by itself. It had no hand in Gandhi's assassination but there was no one to present its point of view in parliament or in the state assemblies. The influence of Gandhiji's thought was all pervasive in the country and the Congress was also influential. There was a ban on the Sangh. So some workers of the Sangh thought that the organisation should have representation. Even then the Sangh had no plan to have its own political party. But Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee met Guruji (Madhavrao Golwalkar) the then Sarsanghchalak (chief) of the RSS, with his plan to float a political party with a Hindu ideology. He requested him to provide some trained volunteers of the Sangh for his party. So Guruji provided him Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Nanaji Deshmukh, Atal Behari Vajpayee and other leaders. With them Shayma Prasad Mukherjee started the Bharatiya Jan Sangh in 1951. Yet even today the Sangh is totally different from the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP).

How can RSS swayamsevaks be separate from the Sangh while working in some other organisation?

Swayamsevaks work in the organisation to which they are sent for a specific purpose but their relationship with the Sangh will be always be there. They represent the Sangh's ideology in the organisation to which they are sent.

Do you think Gujarat CM Narendra Modi has successfully represented the Sangh's ideology in the 10 years of his rule in the state?

It is the Sangh's belief that wherever its volunteers work, they should work in the interest of society or region as per the organisation's thinking. Modi has been in power for 10 years and we can see that there has been development in the state. The Sangh expects a swayamsevak to lead in the area of his work. In that sense, Modi has done his job well.

What is your take on his Sadbhavana fast and efforts to win over Muslims? Is it in tune with the Sangh's ideology?

There is no reason to oppose Sadbhavana. The Sangh is doing its work but the chief minister is not in the Sangh. He is in a political party. For someone in a political party, it is necessary to be elected and come to power. For that, votes of communities other than Hindus are also needed. Hence, Modi is making efforts in his own way to get the votes of other communities as well. In my view, there is nothing wrong in it. Supporting a Muslim or promoting Muslims is also not anti-Hindu. The Hindus have accepted everyone. The real problem with the Muslims is that their own leadership has been misleading them.

Gujarat is said to be the 'laboratory of Saffron ideology'. What is your take?

I don't agree. There are 50 different allied organisations of Sangh such as the ABVP, Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, the VHP etc. I can say that the coordination between these organisations is very good in Gujarat. So if the BJP is winning in elections, all these organisation have contributed to its victory.

Assembly elections are round the corner in Gujarat. What would be the Sangh's strategy?

The Sangh doesn't ask anyone to favour or oppose any political party. It is up to the swayamsevaks - after all, they are individuals in their own right - whom they support or help in elections. They are also living in the same society. Hence they can take their own decisions.