-The Telegraph The "Bonzi" edifice, Bengal's version of the fraudulent Ponzi scheme that conned US investors a century ago, is shaking at its foundations. The panic set off by Saradha defaulting on payments has spread to similar schemes run by other firms and triggered protests and attacks on company offices in several parts of the state. These schemes' mostly small-time rural investors have begun to panic about the safety of their hard-earned...
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Chits come home to roost
-The Telegraph Calcutta: From Mamata Banerjee's backyard in Harish Chatterjee Street to Contai in East Midnapore, a contagion of protests is spreading in several parts of Bengal. Funds collection agents of the Saradha Group are besieging the seats of power with appeals to step in and avert a run on the chit fund-fuelled company since the Trinamul government was seen as the undeclared gilt-edged guarantor during the good times. Trinamul lent credence to...
More »Drilling holes in the Thirst Economy-P Sainath
-The Hindu As the borewells go deeper in Maharashtra, there have been worrying instances of ‘paleo-historic storages' being breached "Only two of them work," says Badri Kharat of his borewells in Roshangaon. That's hard - when you've sunk 36 of them spending millions of rupees, as he has. Kharat, a big landowner and local political personage, has been generous to his neighbours in this village of Jalna district. He pipes in drinking...
More »Soon, voter ID cards to get a sleek makeover -Bharti Jain
-The Times of India The humble elector's photo identity card - commonly called voter EPIC - is getting a sleek makeover. The laminated paper cutout, with a rather grainy black and white photograph, is set to transform into a shiny, plastic card with a colour photo of the voter, just like a driving licence. "The plastic card will be more aesthetic and durable. It, will, however, not be a smartcard like the...
More »200 Dalit families flee village after attack by upper caste group
-The Hindu Thirteen people of the Ror community have been arrested and heavy security deployed in Pabnawa village of Kaithal district in Haryana, after a 400-strong mob allegedly launched an attack on 150 Dalits on Saturday, causing some 200 Dalit families to flee the village. Their houses were allegedly looted and women humiliated. The attack was a sequel to Dalit boy Suryakant's marriage with Ror community girl Meena on April 10. The...
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