From Our Correspondent
Agartala: Embarrassed by the mushrooming of Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), the council of ministers on Wednesday resolved to handover all the cases related to chit fund companies to CBI.
So far, fifteen cases have been lodged against different NBFCs in the state. “All the cases pertaining to the chit fund business would be handed over to CBI for investigation”, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar told reporters after the cabinet meeting which held here on Wednesday.
Sarkar said as many as 27 NBFCs have already disappeared from the state after doing brisk business while 90 chit fund companies have been in the illegal business.
He said it was the state government which had introduced an Act in the year 2000 to tackle menace of NBFCs. Later, the Act has been amended giving more teeth to the existing legislation in 2011.
“We have been asking the Centre to adopt a uniform Act to stop illegal business of the chit fund companies which collects money by promising good return. However, the Centre is yet to take a decision on the important issue”, he said.
Recalling the past, Sarkar said there was a time when small savings were attractive to the people and the collection was very good. “Of late, people have lost interest in investing money in small savings due to meagre interest. Taking the advantage of the situation, different NBFCs have been able to attract people leading to the present situation”, he said. He further appealed the people to invest money in the small savings in stead of putting money in NBFCs hoping to get good return.
The cabinet also gave its nod to the newly constituted State Planning Board (SPB). While Chief Minister will head the 12-member SPB as chairman, former minister Anil Sarkar has been made vice chairman of the panel.
Four ministers- Aghore Debbarma, Badal Chowdhury, Tapan Chakraborty and Manindra Reang and Congress MLA Birajit Sinha were included in the SPB. Besides four renowned economists, Director of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Agartala Prof PK Bose and Vice Chancellor of Tripura University Prof Anjan Kumar Ghosh were also included in the planning board.