After Irom Sharmila last year, Anna Hazare wins IIPM's 2011 Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize of Rs. 1cr. To be handed over on 9th May
New rules aim to make the murky lottery business transparent
Kerala once led the nation in pioneering the state-run lucky draws when the late PK Kunju Sahib, the then Finance Minister in the EMS Ministry started lotteries under the Department of Lotteries in 1967 for resource mobilisation for development. It is an irony that the latest row over lottery sales erupted in Kerala, that too, when the Left Democratic Front is ruling. Lottery mafia has been minting money for long. 'Craze for other state lotteries like a disease is eating into the vitals of the state,' Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan said. 'Under the pretext of official approval of Sikkim and Bhutan, a big gambling business is going on in the state. A large chunk of labourers are lured by its temptation and ruined,' he said on the Independence Day.
The Kerala High Court has on August 30 directed the state government and the Secretary, State Taxes Department, to conduct a probe into the Bhutan and Sikkim lotteries marketed in the state and to take immediate action against them. The court directed the promoters of the Sikkim and Bhutan lotteries ' Megha Distributors ' to pay advance tax for one draw a week while considering two petitions submitted by S. Sulfikar of Palayam, Kozhikode and M. Suresh Kumar of Sasthamangalam, Thiruvananthapuram, for a ban on the sale of lotteries of the Royal Government of Bhutan and Sikkim State Lotteries.
The issue is getting murkier by the day. Megha Distributors is run by Santiago Martin. It is learnt that many party projects have his financial backing. Not long back, the CPI(M) was compelled to return Rs.2 crore collected from Santiago Martin as bond for Desabhimani, the party's mouthpiece. Hence it is but natural that people felt something fishy when the name of Santiago Martin and Megha Distributors came up in the latest controversy.
Currently, the Chief Minister has added an amendment that advance tax should be collected only from lotteries running as per Rule 4 of the Act to the Lottery Ordinance proposed by Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac. CM's step is to rein in other state lottery mafia. The amended ordinance may be promulgated soon. Meanwhile, the State Lottery Department has issued orders canceling all its lotteries except Win-Win and Thiruvonam Bumper. Till recently, there were six weekly lottery tickets, two bi-weekly and six bumper tickets.
Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy said the United Democratic Front was opposed to the move to ban Kerala lottery and viewed the Finance Minister's statement on this as blackmailing of three lakh people engaged in selling them.
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New rules aim to make the murky lottery business transparent
Kerala once led the nation in pioneering the state-run lucky draws when the late PK Kunju Sahib, the then Finance Minister in the EMS Ministry started lotteries under the Department of Lotteries in 1967 for resource mobilisation for development. It is an irony that the latest row over lottery sales erupted in Kerala, that too, when the Left Democratic Front is ruling. Lottery mafia has been minting money for long. 'Craze for other state lotteries like a disease is eating into the vitals of the state,' Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan said. 'Under the pretext of official approval of Sikkim and Bhutan, a big gambling business is going on in the state. A large chunk of labourers are lured by its temptation and ruined,' he said on the Independence Day.
The Kerala High Court has on August 30 directed the state government and the Secretary, State Taxes Department, to conduct a probe into the Bhutan and Sikkim lotteries marketed in the state and to take immediate action against them. The court directed the promoters of the Sikkim and Bhutan lotteries ' Megha Distributors ' to pay advance tax for one draw a week while considering two petitions submitted by S. Sulfikar of Palayam, Kozhikode and M. Suresh Kumar of Sasthamangalam, Thiruvananthapuram, for a ban on the sale of lotteries of the Royal Government of Bhutan and Sikkim State Lotteries.
The issue is getting murkier by the day. Megha Distributors is run by Santiago Martin. It is learnt that many party projects have his financial backing. Not long back, the CPI(M) was compelled to return Rs.2 crore collected from Santiago Martin as bond for Desabhimani, the party's mouthpiece. Hence it is but natural that people felt something fishy when the name of Santiago Martin and Megha Distributors came up in the latest controversy.
Currently, the Chief Minister has added an amendment that advance tax should be collected only from lotteries running as per Rule 4 of the Act to the Lottery Ordinance proposed by Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac. CM's step is to rein in other state lottery mafia. The amended ordinance may be promulgated soon. Meanwhile, the State Lottery Department has issued orders canceling all its lotteries except Win-Win and Thiruvonam Bumper. Till recently, there were six weekly lottery tickets, two bi-weekly and six bumper tickets.
Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy said the United Democratic Front was opposed to the move to ban Kerala lottery and viewed the Finance Minister's statement on this as blackmailing of three lakh people engaged in selling them.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM BBA MBA Institute: Student Notice Board
An array of unconventional career options
Indian universities and higher education institutes seem to be caught in a time warp teaching things
The hunt for hostel and paying guest (PG) accommodation for students
Best Colleges for Vocational Courses in India
INDIA'S BEST COLLEGES, INSTITUTES and UNIVERSITIES
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