Letter from the Editor-in-Chief
Dear friends
May 2013
The month of April is very important for the people of India. This is the month in which we have celebrations by almost all communities - the Bihu festival of Assam and the Shad Suk Mynsiem of Meghalaya to name but two. The month of April is also important for Eastern Panorama as in the month of May, 21 years ago, we started this publication.
In spite of the odds – Eastern Panorama has completed 21 years of publication in April, 2013 and we have marked the occasion by honouring the people who have added positive values to the society. My congratulation goes out to all the Achievers Award winners once again. However – there were many events, which we covered in this May issue of ours which are starkly contarary to the spirit of celebration.
One such issue which in all possibility will be the cause of a great setback is the Sharada Group exposure in which thousands of poor people have lost all their savings by investing with this chit fund company. This is not for the first time that these companies have affected the society. Our readers may recall – Eastern Panorama was, in July 2012, the first to expose a number of chit funds that are operating in the region and cheating the people. The tragedy is that local administration is slow in taking prompt actions against these companies.
Our correspondent has given an in-depth analysis on this chit fund issue and in this analysis it has been found that a lack of post offices and bank branches in the North East region is one of the main factors which help these chit funds grow.
An equally disturbing incident is the ridiculous diktat issued by the anti – talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) led by self – styled ‘Commander in Chief’ Paresh Barua to artistes of Assam to refrain from singing Hindi songs during Bihu celebrations. This simply needs to be condemned by ever right thinking citizen. The cultural roots of the people of Assam and other northastern states are deep - rooted enough to take care for themselves. Cultural assimilation is not a weakness but a strength.
In this issue we have also looked into the commendable efforts of milk producers based in Assam who have turned the rural economy of their respective areas around. These people have formed co – operatives and are taking the dairy industry by storm. The success of their endeavours has reached such an extent that the need for them to seek high paying government jobs has been negated. It is through efforts such as these that the people of the region as well as those of the country as a whole can create very lucrative self – employment and contribute to the economy of the country instead of waiting to be incorporated into a government sector which, as we all know, is already over – saturated.