It is unconscionable for the RBI to not merely make it more difficult, but impossible for small entrepreneurs from India to provide services to international clients by restricting the use of PayPal.
Everyone who cares about these small service providers should scream bloody-murder at such injustice! cm > > > > Times of Assam > > > RBI Guidelines to PayPal make life hell for IT Service Providers > ULFA and Secrets of Politics > Guwahati blast accused and Sonitpur massacre mastermind among five arrested > I was restricted to talk with Manmohan Singh- Mukul Mahant > RBI Guidelines to PayPal make life hell for IT Service Providers > Posted: 10 Feb 2011 12:37 PM PST > > : Priyankan Goswami, February 11, 2011 > > The conflict between PayPal and RBI’s recent Regulation’s which led to PayPal > to declare new rules to be brought into effect is set to affect adversely all > small scale Freelancers and Service providers. Post the write up named > “PayPal’s new rules based on RBI Guidelines : Blow on Indian Freelancers” > published in Times of Assam on 30-Jan-2011, Times of Assam has been sent > messages and emails by a huge lot of small scale service providers, who > depends on the foreign clients for their daily bread and butter. All sorts of > service providers,- small data entry firms, medical transcription providers, > copywriters, web designing firms, report writers, freelance software > developers, graphic designers, animators and many more are set to be hit by > the new regulations. At one end when Inflation is sky rocketing in the > country and the common man has to suffer the burden of pseudo economic > growth, the inconvenience generated to the affected people has already raised > the question as to whose concern the Government of India thinks about. The > Government has not shown any positive means of late to stop price rise of > commodities, has shamefully commented that the huge amounts of black money > hidden in Swiss Banks cannot be recovered, but has duly taken steps like the > one like the PayPal controversy which would inevitably lead to inconvenience, > reduction in profit or even shut down of some service firms and freelancing. > The big firms and the Capitalist lot would of course reap off great > benefits,- it’s a good time to capture some market, which otherwise was ruled > by the low cost service providers and freelancers. > > The facts are plain now, PayPal Spokesman Dickson Seow’s hope that their > company’s 30 add advance notice to Indian customers will enable them to “plan > accordingly” is only corporate consolidation to thousands of small service > units and freelancers in India. Most of them are left only clueless. It is > worth mentioning that most of the small scale service providers are of the > opinion that there should have been better regulations to make the money > transactions more transparent for tax purposes, not something which restricts > flow of Funds completely! > > > ULFA and Secrets of Politics > Posted: 09 Feb 2011 11:55 PM PST > > Paresh Baruah > > - Priyanuj Gohain > > : February 10, 2011 > > The complex equation between Insurgents and Political Parties has been one of > the least discussed yet most difficult to manage aspects of the country, > especially when elections are just around the corner. In Assam, the hype is > already on with Paresh Baruah openly appealing the people not to vote for > Congress in this year’s state elections. > > It all started as early as 1985, when Rajen Sharma also known as Uddipta > Hazarika, the first Publicity Secretary of ULFA arranged truckload of youth > for pro-AGP rallies before the elections. Although the newly formed AGP in > 1985 did not need much additional support to win the 1985 elections after the > end of the 6 year long Assam Agitation, ULFA’s support to the party marked > the beginning of secret affairs between Insurgents and Political Parties,- > all for the rise and fall of Power. > > However the sweet relationship between ULFA and AGP did not last long. With > ULFA gaining extreme support by the public during AGP’s first reign and the > people slowly realizing the futileness of an immature leadership under AGP, > the AGP leadership took it as a threat to their power and throne. The > bitterness between AGP and ULFA grew when Deputy C-in-C Heerak Jyoti Mahanta > was captured in Maligaon, Guwahati and kept in Jail. Instead of a political > treatment, Heerak Jyoti was treated with extremely poor behavior under > direction of the then home minister late Bhrigu Phukan, who considered Heerak > Jyoti as a threat to his power (both were from Guwahati and Heerak Jyoti > arguably was far popular amidst public). He was not released for a long time > although the cases filed against him could have led to bail in three months. > Finally ULFA had to get their Deputy C-in-C released by captivating Russian > Engineer Gritsanco and T.S. Raju. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Prafulla Mahanta > took a step forward to avenge the killing of his wife Jaishree Goswami’s > brother, Girish Goswami, Manager of UCO Bank. (He was killed in the first > Bank robbery by ULFA in 1985 in their drive to raise funds)Mahanta made > friendly ties with the national Party, BJP in the late eighties and with > Lalkrishna Advani‘s strong support in 1989, secured in banning ULFA. ULFA was > banned with two main reasons,- killing of Tea industrialist Surender Pal and > the then Publicity Secretary’s notice to Non-Assamese tea owners to leave > Assam. > > In 1991, ULFA supported Hiteshwar Saikia led Congress to power. From the > outfit’s side, this was not just to take away AGP’s power, but to save the > organization’s leadership from the Indian Army. Reportedly, there was an > internal agreement between Hiteshwar Saikia and Paresh Baruah through the > mediation of Rewati Phukan, currently a top industrialist and Paresh Baruah’s > good friend and co-player when both represented Assam in football. The > agreement was not allowing the Indian army to carry out operations deep > inside the jungles of Myanmar where Baruah and Co. were camped and tactfully > end the Bajrang Operations. It might be noteworthy to mention that the > Operation in Lakhipathar had come to an indecisive end post this agreement > with Media being given sudden entry to the place and revelation of the mass > cemetery, bags of money, etc. The seven ULFA men who fought hundreds of > Indian Army for days and yet kept them away by fighting from tree-tops, > remained safe and unscratched as well. However soon after that, Hiteshwar > Saikia played arguably the dirtiest political game in Assam, creating a rift > between ULFA and SULFA making way for newer bloodshed and ULFA’s support > winced away. > > It was time for the elections again in 1996 and the people of Assam needed a > change from the bloody five years of Congress Rule, a period known only for > bloodshed, terror of Army Operations, rapes, etc. With ULFA openly supporting > AGP and Journalist Parag Kumar Das’ pen thundering against Congress, AGP got > a second chance from the people of Assam. But history only repeated, – with > Prafulla Mahanta led AGP simply planning to wipe out ULFA after winning with > their help! Before anything else, it was required that uncompromising voice > of Parag Kumar Das be silenced,- and so was done. ULFA tried to remind > Mahanta about their agreement by staging a bomb attack on him in Maligaon. > But this only added to Mahanta led AGP’s merciless and treacherous fuel. The > dirtiest and dark secret killings of ULFA families started in full swing and > they lost ULFA’s support forever. In fact ULFA too replied back, by counter > killings and attacks of AGP leaders such as Nagen Sharma, Deepak Das, Biraj > Sharma etc. > > In 2001, the time was again for Congress led by Tarun Gogoi to win support > from ULFA. Right from selection of candidates, attacks on pool booths, > grenade blasts in Janata Bhawan, ULFA did it all to bring Congress to power > with a hope of establishing talks between the outfit and the Government. The > brass of uncompromising ULFA leaders like Tapan Baruah alias Madan Das to > Basa Singh were eliminated slowly by Government as the process of holding > talks initiated. There were several hiccups on the way, right from Bhutan War > pioneered by the then BJP Government of India, but the process started. > However this too took a long time and it became evident with time that > Congress kept the issue of talks only as a trump card to win election after > election using ULFA issue and support. So when Paresh Baruah openly appealed > few days back not to support Congress party in 2011 elections, it can very > well mean an end to ULFA’s support to any political party. With 20 years of > support to different political parties, ULFA seemed to have gained nothing > except treachery from each of them. Hence this very well marks an end to > ULFA’s support to Congress and AGP forever. > > By this time, Paresh Baruah has already established good contacts with China > and it’s no longer a secret that China has started their extended support for > Sovereign Assam. Right from providing modern Arms and weapons to proving safe > shelter, Paresh Baruah has already initiated the process of re-birth of ULFA > (as evident from the recent video footages and its meanings exposed by times > of Assam already). For sure, Assam is going to see a big change in Politics > in near future with the equation of Insurgents and Political Parties taking > completely a different turn. > > > Guwahati blast accused and Sonitpur massacre mastermind among five arrested > Posted: 09 Feb 2011 10:23 PM PST > : Guwahati, February 10, 2011 > > One NDFB commander accused in the 30/08/2008 Guwahati blasts and one > mastermind of the avenge strikes by the outfit that killed 18 people in > Assam in November last year were arrested by Meghalaya Police along with 4 > other in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Lachit Bodo alias Haijang alias > Langana was the mastermind of the serial avenge strikes that the NDFB carried > in the western Assam districts, mostly in Sonitpur, killing 18 people in > November last year, after one Bodo youth was killed in Fake encounter by > security forces. He was also responsible for kidnapping of Maharashtra forest > department officer Vilas Bardekar in Arunachal Pradesh last year. The IFS > officer was released after 78 days. The arrested militant, Commander of the > Eastern Region of the outfit, confessed to have taken Rs 1 crore for his > release. Also arrested in the operation, Bodo’s Deputy and Sergeant Major > Mathuram Brahma alias Mudoi is an accused in the October 2008 serial Guwahati > blasts. He has been charge-sheeted by CBI in the case. The other arrested > cadres are Nichiram Basumatary, Nakul Bodo and Dharmeswar Brahma. A local > tribal, believed to an accomplice in whose house the NDFB cadres were hiding, > was also picked up. Meghalaya Police said the NDFB cadres had entered India > from Bangladesh on February 7 through Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills border. > Apparently, they had opted to take rest for a day at Byrnihat before entering > Assam. The arrested rebels were today produced at the court which remanded > them in 5 day of police custody. > > > I was restricted to talk with Manmohan Singh- Mukul Mahant > Posted: 09 Feb 2011 03:54 PM PST > > Mukul Mahant > > -Dhruba Jyoti Deka > : February 10, 2011 > > While few members of Peoples Consultive Group formed by ULFA in September > 2004, have demanded an apology from ULFA Chairmen Arabinda Rajkhowa for > commenting PCG as un-constitutional, the head of PCG Mukul Mahant revealed > some flushing fact about the lateral talk tried earlier through the group. > Talking to Times of Assam, the Consultant Engineer, who spent his service > life in Canada and came back to Assam in late 1980s, Mr Mahant clearly said > that there were no meaningful happened at the PCG-GoI initiative. Yesterday > in a press meet held at Guwahati Press Club, PCG members Arup Borbora, Ajit > Kumar Bhuyan and Haidar Hussain demanded an apology from ULFA Chairmen > Rajkhowa. The trio appealed for an apology with alleging Arabinda Rajkhowa as > twin faced person for forming PCG and now stating it as un-constitutional by > law of ULFA. > > Mukul Mahant who was given charge as the Chief PCG member, said Times of > Assam in an interview that he was restricted to talk with Manmohan Singh at > the PCG-GoI talks by other PCG members. ‘Most of them were always busy with > posing before camera and throwing speech to media personnel, instead of prime > issues in every step of PCG-GoI talks. When I was talking with Manmohan > Singh, one of them dug at my thigh under the table, and I had to utter Aauchh > in worry and pain’, Mahant also added. Claiming Freedom of Assam is > beneficial for both GoI and Assam itself, Mahant said- ‘I told Manmohan > Singh: You liberate us, we will Liberate you. Otherwise this Indo-Assam > conflict will destroy India like slow poisoning. Manmohan Singh only smiled > as the answer and nothing happened after that in that long procedure. No > talks happened instead of going and coming, posing before cameras and > arranging press meets. I have already said other PCG members that I am not > interested with their un-necessary press meets and posing before cameras, and > I am not going to attend any meetings of PCG.’ > > However, Mahant also stated that though Freedom of Assam is the only > alternate, Freedom cannot be gained by Guns but by the mind only. He said, > ‘No help of Chinese arms or shelter can give us Freedom. Assamese nation has > to be aware about the importance of it. Instead of going towards the base > goal, un-necessary inter-conflicts are just meaningless issues. Assam has > every resource to be a rich Independent country but to achieve Independancy > Assamese Nation has to grow up as a Nation, which is far away now.’ > > Mahant also stated that only talks can solve problems, not the guns. > > > You are subscribed to email updates from Times of Assam > To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Email delivery > powered by Google > Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 _______________________________________________ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
