C'da, I am appalled on two counts. One of course, by the enormity and the sheer ease by these scams have been perpetrated on the NE people. I truly sympathize with the real victims - the people.
The second, is how the article shifts the blame on Delhi because it did not pay attention to the scams. Shouldn't one be outraged by the ministers an businesses who scammed the people first? The different State Govts (the primary watchdogs) of the respective NE can then be asked why they have been napping. When we get enough answers, we can then ask the Center, why they have been neglecting the scams in the NE. This is atrocious, if someone's home were to be robbed, the first anger should be against the thieves, then the local cops, and finally the Justice Dept. Something like the lottery scams are controlled by the State Govt. There are procedures. My guess would be that until & unless the State Govt. asks the Center's help, the Center can't do much. Now, it would be understandable, if it were a income tax evasion scam. In that event, the IT department & the Center would be responsible. BTW: I did not see anywhere in the article, that Central Govt. officials or Ministers were involved (atleast those from outside the states). What does that tell us? More than likely, the scams, the artists, the players, and the victims were all of the local variety. Its time to get the house in order, IMHO. --Ram On 5/20/05, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This story, as incomplete a picture as it is, does point to certain > issues that are often overlooked by some of our friends here in Assam > Net for example, and by most Indians. To get a better understanding > of how and why exactly these can take place and with such impunity > one needs to read Sanjib Baruah's book DURABLE DISORDER, > Understanding the Politics of Northeast India, which I have started > reading, finally. > > cm > > > > > > > > Scam as scam can > > Corruption prospers in the Northeast because it bothers so few > > By Nitin A. Gokhale > > The eight states of the Northeast may be unique in most respects but > when it comes to big-time financial scams, the region is no different > than the rest of India: Politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen gang > up to rob the exchequer of big amounts in the Northeast as they do > across the country. For scamsters in the region the colour of money > is same as in any part of India. There is, however, one unique thing > about scams in the Northeast - no one is unduly perturbed, no one > gets punished and all is forgotten with time. > > Being outside the radar screens of New Delhi, most corrupt practices > and big-time scams in the Northeast > go unnoticed and unreported > Financial irregularities, running into hundreds of crores of rupees, > have been uncovered in the region more frequently than anywhere else. > The Rs 300-crore lottery scandal in Nagaland; the Rs 250-crore import > of palmoline oil scandal; the Rs 197-crore power department scam or > the latest Rs 100-crore fci supply scam, the list is endless. Those > in the know have even coined a term for these scandals. They are > called the 60:40 scandals. > > This is how they work. The well-informed bureaucrat proposes a > scheme, the politician endorses it and the ubiquitous businessman > implements it - all on paper! Then the spoils are shared 60:40 - 30 > percent each goes to the politician and the bureaucrat and the rest > is pocketed by the trader. > > All these swindles have been well documented and written about but > none of the culprits has been taken to task. Many of them continue to > be active and flourishing politicians or bureaucrats. Businessmen, > under the patronage of the politician-bureaucrat nexus, carry on > defrauding governments in the Northeast with impunity. If any of > these scandals had taken place in the so-called mainland India, > someone would have made a song and dance - the opposition, the media, > civil society groups. > > But India's Northeast appears immune to any of these reactions to > big-time scams. Mainly because, like with most other aspects of > governance, the region suffers from the 'out-of-sight-out-of-mind' > syndrome. Being outside the radar screens of New Delhi, most corrupt > practices that take place in the Northeast go unnoticed and > unreported. In some cases, the watchdogs in Delhi get co-opted. The > Opposition in the state does not raise a voice since its members have > shared the loot during their time in power. The media, in most > Northeast states is weak, dependent, with a few exceptions, upon > government largesse and therefore subservient. Given the combination > of these factors, no one should be surprised that big-ticket > financial scams in the Northeast get a decent burial after creating a > few ripples. > _______________________________________________ > Assam mailing list > Assam@pikespeak.uccs.edu > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam > > Mailing list FAQ: > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html > To unsubscribe or change options: > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam > _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list Assam@pikespeak.uccs.edu http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam Mailing list FAQ: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html To unsubscribe or change options: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam
