Editor,
One reads, about the lockdown and curfew affecting the earnings and livelihoods of daily wage earners, farmers, people in the tourism trade and various other sectors, in the news item, write ups and letters to the editor and the adverse effect on their lives. We empathise with them and they have our full support. But, we should also not forget that there are a large number of people in the state involved In Minor and Small Enterprises with very limited financial resources who have also been affected by the lockdown resulting in a complete freeze of a large percentage of economic activities carried out by the MSE sector like small contracting firms, automobile workshops, printing units and other small manufacturing concerns etc.
The situation is critical for this sector and becomes even more so when looking at the cash flow. Nearly nine out of ten businesses are experiencing a shortage in cash flow and the situation is not expected to improve throughout 2021. With cash flow being the key concern, businesses need easy access to short term liquidity to tide over the crisis. Delayed payment is another chronic reason that MSEs always suffer as these sectors do not possess sufficient funds to meet a crisis like this pandemic. MSEs are most hit by the economic woes and the effect on business continuity, labor force, revenues and occupational health and safety have been, and continue to be devastating.
Lest we forget, MSEs plays a vital role In providing large employment opportunities. In fact, this sector provides maximum employment. Solutions are needed to give them the support they need to serve and continue to contribute to the State and National economy. And our Government should initiate various stimuli to motivate their growth for the prosperity of our State. Perhaps we should look into and adopt the various preferences, reliefs and benefits provided for by the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises for the growth of this sector.
Yours etc.,
Wallamphang Roy
Shillong-01
MDA Regime – A Family Business?
Editor,
Amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the state with hundreds succumbing to the to the virus and thousands of others infected and battling for recovery and whereas the lockdown is extended to the entire state to mitigate the spread of the virus, the MDA Government has also decided to hand over the distribution segment of MeECL – the MePDCL to the corporate sector. The Injection Based Distribution Franchisee (IBDF) is being given to Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) a Power Distribution Company which is a subsidiary of the REC Limited for twenty five (25) years.
This appears to be another business game. Ironically, the corporate sector will take over the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region, Garo hills is exempted from the franchisee. In layman’s terms, the Government will outsource the Khasi and the Jaintia Hills to the company for distribution of power and collection of all revenues for 25 years while saving the Garo hills from the corporate rule.
The MDA government is currently running three (3) years of its term has flouted all the norms of governance. We are witnessing illegal coal trafficking, poor handling of the pandemic and power crisis amongst others. The current trend of mismanaging the power sector by the Government raises doubts and apprehensions amongst the masses. Why is the Chief Minister and Power Minister outsourcing power distribution only for Khasi and the Jaintia hills? Isn’t there a hefty collection of power revenue collected from Garo Hills also? And if the two circles are to be sold to the company, what will happen to the thousands of the existing employees of the MeECL from those circles? In short, the future of the power sector in the state is catastrophic.
Ridiculously, smart electrical meters are being installed in every household amidst the pandemic. The MeECL personnel are visiting each and every household and are doing their jobs as instructed by people in command, without prior consultation with the headmen and without creating public awareness. This is vexatious and irksome.
It is now up to the MLAs of the Khasi and the Jaintia Hills region to fight this battle and free us from such a dictatorial policy. Will the public representatives of Khasi and Jaintia hills allow the Sangma regime to sell us for their personal interests? So far, the MDA government is already a failed one. It’s a crucial time for the Chief Minister and the Power Minister to step down and immediately cease using Khasi and Jaintia Hills as a pitch for their family business. Let a new Government be formed that function in accordance with the true meaning of Democracy.
Yours etc.,
O R Shallam
Panaliar, Jowai
Dissent a fundamental right
Editor,
The new set of rules imposed by the Central government on global technology giants like Google, Twitter, Facebook and its social media and messaging apps like Instagram and WhatsApp have created confusion and uncertainty. While some like Google and Twitter said they would comply with the new rules although they said that the rules were restrictions on free speech, others like Facebook have said that they wanted to comply with the rules but would continue to discuss the points of difference with the government. WhatsApp has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the constitutionality of the rules.
True, India has a constitutional right to pass a legislation and issue rules and regulations to ensure their implementation. Any business in India, irrespective of its size or profit, must comply with the laws and regulations. As the global technology giants are US-based, they are bound by US laws but all have to comply with the laws of other countries as well. It must be understood that although most global tech giants initially fought the tough data privacy rules formulated and imposed by the European Union, they later complied with them. India has the right to formulate IT rules and implement them. However, there must be a legal basis for this. Compliance must not become submission to authority. There must be provisions for grievance redressal. The aggrieved party too has the right to seek legal recourse. The new IT rules create a lot of problems. For example, according to the new guidelines, if the intermediary fails to follow due diligence, the provisions under Section 79 of the IT Act which protects platforms from the content they have could be unavailable. A long list of contents which the platforms are not allowed to carry are listed.
It is feared that the new rules will impose restrictions on free speech and expression of dissent. Given that India leads the world in the number and quantity of content that it has ordered social media platforms to remove, there is every likelihood that the rules will be used in an unfair and partisan manner. It must be understood that the government had ordered social media platforms to remove posts relating to the farmers’ protests and the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Modi government had recently ordered Twitter to block over 50 tweets mostly critical of its response to the Covid pandemic.
The government must realise the consequences of adopting such measures. It must analyse all aspects of the issue and put off the implementation of the rules. It must engage with all stakeholders and hold discussions and work towards finding a practical solution. As the rules were implemented without parliamentary or public debate, they do not have legal validity.
Yours etc.,
Venue G S,
Kollam