Re: [Assam] Hamilton Court
Dilip-da, This is from the website u mentioned. KP SIngh of DLF is worth $30 billion as per Forbes - a retired military officer, who joined his in-laws company Delhi Leasing Finance. ***DLF labour hutment While all the big developers focus only on providing world-class facilities to their buyers DLF carried its social responsibility initiatives to the construction work sites in Gurgaon once it started construction of the DLF Township. At DLF it was felt that even though there had been tremendous improvement in construction technology and quality it was distressing to note that the people who actually make all the glitzy buildings were a neglected lot and often required to do so in inhuman conditions. The sight of construction workers and their children living in jhuggies without even the basic facilities at most of the construction sites is not uncommon. At DLF it was their constant endeavor to improve the living conditions of their construction workers by providing them all the basic necessities at the site itself by efficient and effective space management. DLF seized the initiative in this respect and became a pioneer in providing all necessary facilities to its construction workers on site when it tied up with Laing O Rourke for construction projects. Umesh Dilipamp;Dil Deka [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I did a little checking on Hamilton Court and its developer DLF Properties. If what they claim they are doing for corporate responsibility, they are on the right track and there should be more of them. Can we believe what we see on their website? May be someone from Delhi can tell us. Visit http://www.dlf.in/wps/portal/DLFCity?jspName=investors/corporate_social_responsibility.jsp There should be no shame in their making money from the high income earners, if they also donate part of it to the community around them. Dilip Deka ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma Washington D.C. 1-202-215-4328 [Cell] Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info) http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info) www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used ) http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/ http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ - Sent from Yahoo! Mail. A Smarter Email. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Hamilton Court
Yes, they (DLF, UNITECH etc.) are doing some work but those are notnbsp;proportional to the money they are making. Further, in almost 50% areas, major constructions are going on and the migrating labour poulation along with others are putting a heavy burden on the limited infrastructure.nbsp;So, the population growth out numbers the facility requirement. Even I know of many NGOs, many individuals, whonbsp;are also contributing for providing better life amp; education to the poor. If the Govt. makenbsp;some social obligations (school, roads, healthnbsp;care for the migrant labour population working under these companies)nbsp;mandatorynbsp;for these companies while granting permissions to their ventures, the situation will definitely improve. Rgds Mridul Bhuyan --- On Tue, 6/10/08, Dilipamp;amp;Dil Deka lt;[EMAIL PROTECTED]gt; wrote: From: Dilipamp;Dil Deka lt;[EMAIL PROTECTED]gt; Subject: [Assam] Hamilton Court To: ASSAMNET lt;assam@assamnet.orggt; Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 11:05 AM I did a little checking on Hamilton Court and its developer DLF Properties. If what they claim they are doing for corporate responsibility, they are on the right track and there should be more of them. Can we believe what we see on their website? May be someone from Delhi can tell us. Visit http://www.dlf.in/wps/portal/DLFCity?jspName=investors/corporate_social_responsibility.jsp There should benbsp;no shame in their making money from the high income earners, if they also donate part of it to the community around them. Dilip Deka ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Hamilton Court
(Mridul, I find in your matter of fact attitude a fresh whiff of air:-) I was inquring about you.) The following is directed to all our friends here:- ? Are the land deals of the real estate business aboveborad? In India, some governments are taking over land from small landowners for pittance called compensation on the plea of developing SEZs. Then, such SEZs do not come up. When the dispossessed demand the land back, they are not returned their land and instead those are handed over to real estate business for considerations other than those that are reflected. VP Singh too raised the question of allottment of land to the Ambanis at lopsidedly low prices near Delhi in a TV program recently. This is what is called 'private enterprise' in India and of course in Russia or any other countries where suave economic extractions give way to the extra-economic ones that may include intimidation, threat, murder etc (A recent Delhi killing of an encounter specialist is a pointer). It seems Balzac is still not irrelevant about crime behind great fortunes. You can be comfortable with honest money, but not that rich anyday, apologists notwithstanding. Mridul Bhuyan [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Yes, they (DLF, UNITECH etc.) are doing some work but those are not proportional to the money they are making. Further, in almost 50% areas, major constructions are going on and the migrating labour poulation along with others are putting a heavy burden on the limited infrastructure. So, the population growth out numbers the facility requirement. Even I know of many NGOs, many individuals, who are also contributing for providing better life education to the poor. If the Govt. make some social obligations (school, roads, health care for the migrant labour population working under these companies) mandatory for these companies while granting permissions to their ventures, the situation will definitely improve. Rgds Mridul Bhuyan --- On Tue, 6/10/08, Dilipamp;Dil Deka [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: DilipDil Deka [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Assam] Hamilton Court To: ASSAMNET assam@assamnet.org Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 11:05 AM I did a little checking on Hamilton Court and its developer DLF Properties. If what they claim they are doing for corporate responsibility, they are on the right track and there should be more of them. Can we believe what we see on their website? May be someone from Delhi can tell us. Visit http://www.dlf.in/wps/portal/DLFCity?jspName=investors/corporate_social_responsibility.jsp There should be no shame in their making money from the high income earners, if they also donate part of it to the community around them. Dilip Deka ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Uttam Kumar Borthakur - Share files, take polls, and make new friends - all under one roof. Click here. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Another View of Things/Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare?
This is a story related to the issues involved in the NY Times article about the Good Life in Gurgaon. And it touches on some of the points raised by Uttam, and how it impacts the PUBLIC GOOD. http://www.evb.ch/en/p25010663.html Note: A report by the McKinsey Global Institute came to the conclusion that the investment decision of corporations usually was not dependent upon these benefits. Especially in booming markets like India, corporations want to be present in any case, but are nonetheless happy to take advantage of the benefits that are offered to them. India's elites are not completely innocent: The success of having attracted a prestigious foreign corporation to one's own state is a great way to show off. It is India's poor who pay the price. cm *** Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare? (28.01.06) Two reasons are given for India's economic attractiveness: well-educated, inexpensive high-tech workers and a booming internal market. But there is a third, more important motive that attracts investors: the abundance of incentives and sweetners offered by the Indian government to foreign corporations. Incredibly India: The Biggest Democracy for Global Investors: With this slogan, omnipresent in Davos, India takes a jab at China and at the same time makes clear: India is rolling out the red carpet for foreign investors. The enticements include tax breaks, tariff relief and inexpensive building sites already outfitted with the necessary infrastructure. Exemptions are also made to the applicable environmental and labor legislation. Since the individual Indian states are competing for investments, firms can combine individual and state benefits. And for large projects there are not only the standard incentives, but also tailor-made contracts and incentive packets, whose details remain secret. The most extensive enticements are granted in the special economic zones, which are under the direct authority of the central government's Trade and Industry Ministry. Eleven such regions already exist, and a further 42 have been approved. The Trade Minister manages these zones himself; his colleagues in the Departments of Environment and Finance have no say. Former finance minister Jaswant Singh has complained, in vain, about the loss of tax authority over these zones. Exemptions Without Rules Labor laws find only a rudimentary application in the special economic zones. All firms are treated as public utilities, which means that workers may not strike. A toy factory has the same status as state-operated water and electricity utilities. Normal working hours and overtime as well as wages do not need to be made public, and there are no regular inspections for compliance with safety and health standards. In addition, no contributions need to be paid into the state's social insurance koffers during the first five years of operation. There are also numerous exemptions regarding environment protection, the most important being that a corporation need not carry out public hearings as required by the 1986 Environment Protection Act. As a result, the results of an environmental impact assessment need not be made public. Corporations in the special economic zones are not encouraged to conserve; they can use unlimited water and energy, although these resources are chronically in short supply. Last but not least, corporations in special economic zones profit from comprehensive tax breaks. All corporate taxes are waived for the first five years, and in the following five years a corporation must only pay 50 percent of the normal tax rate. This arrangement applies for a further five years for reinvested profits. In concrete terms, these tax breaks permit a firm in a special economic zone to double its profits in the first three years compared to a firm outside the zones. The incentives for technology firms are even greater; these firms receive the benefits of a special economic zone, no matter where they are located. This applies not only for highly-skilled technology activities like software development, but also for simple call centers and data processors. A Workplace for 420,000 Dollars An example: Ford started a joint venture with the Indian firm Mahindra in 1999. The Indian states of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu competed with each other to bring the factory to their state. The contract was eventually awarded to Tamil Nadu. The benefits for Ford included the exemption of sales tax on all locally-produced autos for the first 14 years. The state also offered land at no cost and subsidized electricity for four years. Then came a guaranteed water supply and the promise to build a purification plant. By an estimated production of 50,000 autos during the 14-year tax-free period, the additional profit for Ford (and the loss of tax
[Assam] Another View of Things/Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare?
Couple of points 1) The TN govt DID NOT provide land at no cost. The land was Free Hold instead of leased. The author does not seem to understand the difference. (Refer http://books.google.com/books?id=Au3R0DblY7wCpg=PA56lpg=PA56dq=ford+mahindra+tamil+nadu+exemptionsource=webots=p1RzEZNoXTsig=9T-FNqYOxcpPM6neQ6eLNZp5DKIhl=en#PPA57,M1 Page 56-57) 2) What the author fails to see is the anciliary industries. For example , in case of Ford, the parts suppliers of TN lobbied to get the Ford factory. The ancialiary industries offer much more job then the main industry. We have seen this happening in Western and South India and lately in WB. 3) The author says that the Govt offers Tailor Made incentives which are secret. I am not sure how the secret info on TN-Ford negotiation became public. However, everywhere including US, Govt offeres incentive to investors. The same report which I referred to says about US (Page 60). It also says that in US the negotiations are often done in a clandestine manner. 4) The author says If, on the other hand, the state had higher tax revenues, it could itself create jobs, for example in the rural economy. However, what the author fails to see (but even a layman can understand) is that the potential of earning tax depends on number of industries and jobs. So, if the govt raise the tax to (say) 30% and there are 0 industries Govt will not have money even for basic development not to talk of creating jobs. On the other hand, by getting new industries, they are getting corporate tax, and tax from anciliary industries. Further, the subsidized electricity for Ford was only for 4 years and after that the govt makes money out of that too at industrial rate. 5) The original article which started this discussion (NY Times article) praised Chinese model. However, the Berne Declaration site (from which http://www.evb.ch/en/p25010663.html has been picked up) also cites article on Chinese model (by same author). It says The Chinese economic miracle is based on the exploitation of rural migrant workers. (http://www.evb.ch/en/p25010664.html). Does that mean ALL developing countries are going the wrong way? I have seen some assam netters going ga-ga on Chinese model while belittling all of Indian developments. What is their view on this? Does anyone have access to the McKinsey report which the author refers to ? This is a story related to the issues involved in the NY Times article about the Good Life in Gurgaon. And it touches on some of the points raised by Uttam, and how it impacts the PUBLIC GOOD. http://www.evb.ch/en/p25010663.html Note: A report by the McKinsey Global Institute came to the conclusion that the investment decision of corporations usually was not dependent upon these benefits. Especially in booming markets like India, corporations want to be present in any case, but are nonetheless happy to take advantage of the benefits that are offered to them. India's elites are not completely innocent: The success of having attracted a prestigious foreign corporation to one's own state is a great way to show off. It is India's poor who pay the price. cm *** Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare? (28.01.06) Two reasons are given for India's economic attractiveness: well-educated, inexpensive high-tech workers and a booming internal market. But there is a third, more important motive that attracts investors: the abundance of incentives and sweetners offered by the Indian government to foreign corporations. Incredibly India: The Biggest Democracy for Global Investors: With this slogan, omnipresent in Davos, India takes a jab at China and at the same time makes clear: India is rolling out the red carpet for foreign investors. The enticements include tax breaks, tariff relief and inexpensive building sites already outfitted with the necessary infrastructure. Exemptions are also made to the applicable environmental and labor legislation. Since the individual Indian states are competing for investments, firms can combine individual and state benefits. And for large projects there are not only the standard incentives, but also tailor-made contracts and incentive packets, whose details remain secret. The most extensive enticements are granted in the special economic zones, which are under the direct authority of the central government's Trade and Industry Ministry. Eleven such regions already exist, and a further 42 have been approved. The Trade Minister manages these zones himself; his colleagues in the Departments of Environment and Finance have no say. Former finance minister Jaswant Singh has complained, in vain, about the loss of tax authority over these zones. Exemptions Without Rules Labor
Re: [Assam] Another View of Things/Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare?
It is similar to the question , Who pays the price when all consumer goods in the US are MADE IN CHINA? Or Who pays the price when all software work is outsourced? I have to assume that it is from the same group of people such a squestion has emerged. Somebody somewhere has to pay the price. Since you do not seem to know much about how the new mini cities have come about -- let me refresh your memories that the farmers who sold their lands to these developers overnight became rich. Many bought new Mercedes cars etc. Many frittered away their wealth on trinkets . Umesh Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This is a story related to the issues involved in the NY Times article about the Good Life in Gurgaon. And it touches on some of the points raised by Uttam, and how it impacts the PUBLIC GOOD. http://www.evb.ch/en/p25010663.html Note: A report by the McKinsey Global Institute came to the conclusion that the investment decision of corporations usually was not dependent upon these benefits. Especially in booming markets like India, corporations want to be present in any case, but are nonetheless happy to take advantage of the benefits that are offered to them. India's elites are not completely innocent: The success of having attracted a prestigious foreign corporation to one's own state is a great way to show off. It is India's poor who pay the price. cm *** Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare? (28.01.06) Two reasons are given for India's economic attractiveness: well-educated, inexpensive high-tech workers and a booming internal market. But there is a third, more important motive that attracts investors: the abundance of incentives and sweetners offered by the Indian government to foreign corporations. Incredibly India: The Biggest Democracy for Global Investors: With this slogan, omnipresent in Davos, India takes a jab at China and at the same time makes clear: India is rolling out the red carpet for foreign investors. The enticements include tax breaks, tariff relief and inexpensive building sites already outfitted with the necessary infrastructure. Exemptions are also made to the applicable environmental and labor legislation. Since the individual Indian states are competing for investments, firms can combine individual and state benefits. And for large projects there are not only the standard incentives, but also tailor-made contracts and incentive packets, whose details remain secret. The most extensive enticements are granted in the special economic zones, which are under the direct authority of the central government's Trade and Industry Ministry. Eleven such regions already exist, and a further 42 have been approved. The Trade Minister manages these zones himself; his colleagues in the Departments of Environment and Finance have no say. Former finance minister Jaswant Singh has complained, in vain, about the loss of tax authority over these zones. Exemptions Without Rules Labor laws find only a rudimentary application in the special economic zones. All firms are treated as public utilities, which means that workers may not strike. A toy factory has the same status as state-operated water and electricity utilities. Normal working hours and overtime as well as wages do not need to be made public, and there are no regular inspections for compliance with safety and health standards. In addition, no contributions need to be paid into the state's social insurance koffers during the first five years of operation. There are also numerous exemptions regarding environment protection, the most important being that a corporation need not carry out public hearings as required by the 1986 Environment Protection Act. As a result, the results of an environmental impact assessment need not be made public. Corporations in the special economic zones are not encouraged to conserve; they can use unlimited water and energy, although these resources are chronically in short supply. Last but not least, corporations in special economic zones profit from comprehensive tax breaks. All corporate taxes are waived for the first five years, and in the following five years a corporation must only pay 50 percent of the normal tax rate. This arrangement applies for a further five years for reinvested profits. In concrete terms, these tax breaks permit a firm in a special economic zone to double its profits in the first three years compared to a firm outside the zones. The incentives for technology firms are even greater; these firms receive the benefits of a special economic zone, no matter where they are located. This applies not only for highly-skilled technology activities like software development, but also for simple call centers and data processors. A Workplace for 420,000 Dollars An example: Ford started a joint
Re: [Assam] Another View of Things/Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare?
There is an excellent book very much related to this topic called: The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profits by C. K. Prahalad, published by Wharton School Publishing. Business Success Stories from the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) consist part II of the book, which includes the Jaipur Foot Sotry, Homes for the poor - The CEMEX Story, The Annapurna Salt Story, etc. Quoted here are two lines from the book. More than 4 billion people live at the BOP on less than $2 per day. They are the subject matter of this book. If we stop thinking of the poor as victims or as a burden and start reorganizing them as resilient and creative entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity will open up. You have to read the book to feel that after all, MNCs don't have to be beneficial only for the people at the top tier of the economic pyramid. “In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree and humble like a blade of grass.” Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:30:05 -0500 To: assam@assamnet.org From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Assam] Another View of Things/Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare? This is a story related to the issues involved in the NY Times article about the Good Life in Gurgaon. And it touches on some of the points raised by Uttam, and how it impacts the PUBLIC GOOD. http://www.evb.ch/en/p25010663.htmlNote: A report by the McKinsey Global Institute came to the conclusion that the investment decision of corporations usually was not dependent upon these benefits. Especially in booming markets like India, corporations want to be present in any case, but are nonetheless happy to take advantage of the benefits that are offered to them. India's elites are not completely innocent: The success of having attracted a prestigious foreign corporation to one's own state is a great way to show off. It is India's poor who pay the price. cm *** Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare? (28.01.06)Two reasons are given for India's economic attractiveness: well-educated, inexpensive high-tech workers and a booming internal market. But there is a third, more important motive that attracts investors: the abundance of incentives and sweetners offered by the Indian government to foreign corporations. Incredibly India: The Biggest Democracy for Global Investors: With this slogan, omnipresent in Davos, India takes a jab at China and at the same time makes clear: India is rolling out the red carpet for foreign investors. The enticements include tax breaks, tariff relief and inexpensive building sites already outfitted with the necessary infrastructure. Exemptions are also made to the applicable environmental and labor legislation. Since the individual Indian states are competing for investments, firms can combine individual and state benefits. And for large projects there are not only the standard incentives, but also tailor-made contracts and incentive packets, whose details remain secret. The most extensive enticements are granted in the special economic zones, which are under the direct authority of the central government's Trade and Industry Ministry. Eleven such regions already exist, and a further 42 have been approved. The Trade Minister manages these zones himself; his colleagues in the Departments of Environment and Finance have no say. Former finance minister Jaswant Singh has complained, in vain, about the loss of tax authority over these zones. Exemptions Without Rules Labor laws find only a rudimentary application in the special economic zones. All firms are treated as public utilities, which means that workers may not strike. A toy factory has the same status as state-operated water and electricity utilities. Normal working hours and overtime as well as wages do not need to be made public, and there are no regular inspections for compliance with safety and health standards. In addition, no contributions need to be paid into the state's social insurance koffers during the first five years of operation. There are also numerous exemptions regarding environment protection, the most important being that a corporation need not carry out public hearings as required by the 1986 Environment Protection Act. As a result, the results of an environmental impact assessment need not be made public. Corporations in the special economic zones are not encouraged to conserve; they can use unlimited water and energy, although these resources are chronically in short supply. Last but not least, corporations in special economic zones profit from comprehensive tax breaks. All corporate taxes are
[Assam] Another View of Things/Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare?
In addition to what I mentioned, there are other misleading info all throughout the article. 1) The article says (for SEZs) All corporate taxes are waived for the first five years,... This is NOT true. the Income tax is waived ONLY for export income (http://sezindia.nic.in/HTMLS/about.htm). 2) The artcile says Labor laws find only a rudimentary application in the special economic zones. However, the SEZ Rule says The Developer shall abide by the local laws, rules, regulations or bye-laws in regard to area planning, sewerage disposal, pollution control, labour laws and the like as may be locally applicable. As a matter of fact, I could not verify many of the claims by the author after going through the SEZ Rule and Act. It probably does not make much sense to pick up an article by any Tom, Dick, Harry in an attempt to paint India in black. --- Krishnendu Chakraborty [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Couple of points 1) The TN govt DID NOT provide land at no cost. The land was Free Hold instead of leased. The author does not seem to understand the difference. (Refer http://books.google.com/books?id=Au3R0DblY7wCpg=PA56lpg=PA56dq=ford+mahindra+tamil+nadu+exemptionsource=webots=p1RzEZNoXTsig=9T-FNqYOxcpPM6neQ6eLNZp5DKIhl=en#PPA57,M1 Page 56-57) 2) What the author fails to see is the anciliary industries. For example , in case of Ford, the parts suppliers of TN lobbied to get the Ford factory. The ancialiary industries offer much more job then the main industry. We have seen this happening in Western and South India and lately in WB. 3) The author says that the Govt offers Tailor Made incentives which are secret. I am not sure how the secret info on TN-Ford negotiation became public. However, everywhere including US, Govt offeres incentive to investors. The same report which I referred to says about US (Page 60). It also says that in US the negotiations are often done in a clandestine manner. 4) The author says If, on the other hand, the state had higher tax revenues, it could itself create jobs, for example in the rural economy. However, what the author fails to see (but even a layman can understand) is that the potential of earning tax depends on number of industries and jobs. So, if the govt raise the tax to (say) 30% and there are 0 industries Govt will not have money even for basic development not to talk of creating jobs. On the other hand, by getting new industries, they are getting corporate tax, and tax from anciliary industries. Further, the subsidized electricity for Ford was only for 4 years and after that the govt makes money out of that too at industrial rate. 5) The original article which started this discussion (NY Times article) praised Chinese model. However, the Berne Declaration site (from which http://www.evb.ch/en/p25010663.html has been picked up) also cites article on Chinese model (by same author). It says The Chinese economic miracle is based on the exploitation of rural migrant workers. (http://www.evb.ch/en/p25010664.html). Does that mean ALL developing countries are going the wrong way? I have seen some assam netters going ga-ga on Chinese model while belittling all of Indian developments. What is their view on this? Does anyone have access to the McKinsey report which the author refers to ? This is a story related to the issues involved in the NY Times article about the Good Life in Gurgaon. And it touches on some of the points raised by Uttam, and how it impacts the PUBLIC GOOD. http://www.evb.ch/en/p25010663.html Note: A report by the McKinsey Global Institute came to the conclusion that the investment decision of corporations usually was not dependent upon these benefits. Especially in booming markets like India, corporations want to be present in any case, but are nonetheless happy to take advantage of the benefits that are offered to them. India's elites are not completely innocent: The success of having attracted a prestigious foreign corporation to one's own state is a great way to show off. It is India's poor who pay the price. cm *** Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare? (28.01.06) Two reasons are given for India's economic attractiveness: well-educated, inexpensive high-tech workers and a booming internal market. But there is a third, more important motive that attracts investors: the abundance of incentives and sweetners offered by the Indian government to foreign corporations. Incredibly India: The Biggest Democracy for Global Investors: With this slogan, omnipresent in Davos, India takes a jab at China and at the same time makes
Re: [Assam] Another View of Things/Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare?
Umesh, Do you know first hand that the land owners actually sold or were compensated for the land by the real estate developers? The critics always say that the land owners get evicted and end up on the street. Is the truth somewhere in between? Dilipda - Original Message From: umesh sharma [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world assam@assamnet.org Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 11:08:57 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] Another View of Things/Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare? It is similar to the question , Who pays the price when all consumer goods in the US are MADE IN CHINA? Or Who pays the price when all software work is outsourced? I have to assume that it is from the same group of people such a squestion has emerged. Somebody somewhere has to pay the price. Since you do not seem to know much about how the new mini cities have come about -- let me refresh your memories that the farmers who sold their lands to these developers overnight became rich. Many bought new Mercedes cars etc. Many frittered away their wealth on trinkets . Umesh Chan Mahanta [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This is a story related to the issues involved in the NY Times article about the Good Life in Gurgaon. And it touches on some of the points raised by Uttam, and how it impacts the PUBLIC GOOD. http://www.evb.ch/en/p25010663.html Note: A report by the McKinsey Global Institute came to the conclusion that the investment decision of corporations usually was not dependent upon these benefits. Especially in booming markets like India, corporations want to be present in any case, but are nonetheless happy to take advantage of the benefits that are offered to them. India's elites are not completely innocent: The success of having attracted a prestigious foreign corporation to one's own state is a great way to show off. It is India's poor who pay the price. cm *** Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare? (28.01.06) Two reasons are given for India's economic attractiveness: well-educated, inexpensive high-tech workers and a booming internal market. But there is a third, more important motive that attracts investors: the abundance of incentives and sweetners offered by the Indian government to foreign corporations. Incredibly India: The Biggest Democracy for Global Investors: With this slogan, omnipresent in Davos, India takes a jab at China and at the same time makes clear: India is rolling out the red carpet for foreign investors. The enticements include tax breaks, tariff relief and inexpensive building sites already outfitted with the necessary infrastructure. Exemptions are also made to the applicable environmental and labor legislation. Since the individual Indian states are competing for investments, firms can combine individual and state benefits. And for large projects there are not only the standard incentives, but also tailor-made contracts and incentive packets, whose details remain secret. The most extensive enticements are granted in the special economic zones, which are under the direct authority of the central government's Trade and Industry Ministry. Eleven such regions already exist, and a further 42 have been approved. The Trade Minister manages these zones himself; his colleagues in the Departments of Environment and Finance have no say. Former finance minister Jaswant Singh has complained, in vain, about the loss of tax authority over these zones. Exemptions Without Rules Labor laws find only a rudimentary application in the special economic zones. All firms are treated as public utilities, which means that workers may not strike. A toy factory has the same status as state-operated water and electricity utilities. Normal working hours and overtime as well as wages do not need to be made public, and there are no regular inspections for compliance with safety and health standards. In addition, no contributions need to be paid into the state's social insurance koffers during the first five years of operation. There are also numerous exemptions regarding environment protection, the most important being that a corporation need not carry out public hearings as required by the 1986 Environment Protection Act. As a result, the results of an environmental impact assessment need not be made public. Corporations in the special economic zones are not encouraged to conserve; they can use unlimited water and energy, although these resources are chronically in short supply. Last but not least, corporations in special economic zones profit from comprehensive tax breaks. All corporate taxes are waived for the first five years, and in the following five years a corporation must only pay 50 percent of the normal tax rate. This arrangement applies for a further five years for
[Assam] Who is God?
I liked this short letter in today's Assam Tribune. The God fearing crowd may not agree. Who is God? Sir,– It refers to the letter “Atheism” by Mahendra Prasad Barooah (AT, June 3). May I ask who is God and what is his relationship with this world. Why does man look for a God? Introduction of God as the primeval cause of everything is a mere hypothesis. It does not solve the mystery of the unknown. God is not necessary. There is no God as the creator of the universe. God is equal to absolute knowledge minus our present knowledge. As our knowledge increases, size of God diminishes, and when we will know everything, God will disappear into thin air. —Yours etc., DILIP KUMAR CHAKRABARTTY, Rukmini-nagar, Dispur, Guwahati. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Article on an Engineering College at Dhemaji by Bogen Gogoi (AGRADOOT, 11.06.2008)
Dear all, You can read the article (AGRADOOT,11.06.2008) of Bogen Gogoi on an Engineering College at Dhemaji from the below link. http://buljit.bihu.in/ Thank You Buljit Buragohain - Check out the all-new face of Yahoo! India. Click here. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Who is God?
I agree. I liked this short letter in today's Assam Tribune. The God fearing crowd may not agree. Who is God? Sir,- It refers to the letter Atheism by Mahendra Prasad Barooah (AT, June 3). May I ask who is God and what is his relationship with this world. Why does man look for a God? Introduction of God as the primeval cause of everything is a mere hypothesis. It does not solve the mystery of the unknown. God is not necessary. There is no God as the creator of the universe. God is equal to absolute knowledge minus our present knowledge. As our knowledge increases, size of God diminishes, and when we will know everything, God will disappear into thin air. -Yours etc., DILIP KUMAR CHAKRABARTTY, Rukmini-nagar, Dispur, Guwahati. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Another View of Things/Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare?
Dilip-da, Staying in Delhi area - esp Gurgaon is not much different from staying in any place which has a very vibrant civil society. I read such articles in Times of India etc when I was in Delhi 1990-1996 , but I recall they were about Delhi farmlands - where some wise enough farmers did not buy brand new Mercedes cars (which were as rare in India as are Rolls Royce cars in the USA now) and invested in something more useful. Gurgaon is very much part of India's prime land and the landowners are not meek mice - ignorant and oppressed - but mostly Jats - the aggressive warrior/farmer clan who shake Delhi. New Gurgaon has been in around for over 15 years now. http://www.gurgaonscoop.com/story/2007/12/18/23320/596 you might find it useful though. The ones I read were before internet websites existed for these newpapers (TOI etc). TOI website came about I think in 1998. Umesh Dilipamp;Dil Deka [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Umesh, Do you know first hand that the land owners actually sold or were compensated for the land by the real estate developers? The critics always say that the land owners get evicted and end up on the street. Is the truth somewhere in between? Dilipda - Original Message From: umesh sharma To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 11:08:57 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] Another View of Things/Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare? It is similar to the question , Who pays the price when all consumer goods in the US are MADE IN CHINA? Or Who pays the price when all software work is outsourced? I have to assume that it is from the same group of people such a squestion has emerged. Somebody somewhere has to pay the price. Since you do not seem to know much about how the new mini cities have come about -- let me refresh your memories that the farmers who sold their lands to these developers overnight became rich. Many bought new Mercedes cars etc. Many frittered away their wealth on trinkets . Umesh Chan Mahanta wrote: This is a story related to the issues involved in the NY Times article about the Good Life in Gurgaon. And it touches on some of the points raised by Uttam, and how it impacts the PUBLIC GOOD. http://www.evb.ch/en/p25010663.html Note: A report by the McKinsey Global Institute came to the conclusion that the investment decision of corporations usually was not dependent upon these benefits. Especially in booming markets like India, corporations want to be present in any case, but are nonetheless happy to take advantage of the benefits that are offered to them. India's elites are not completely innocent: The success of having attracted a prestigious foreign corporation to one's own state is a great way to show off. It is India's poor who pay the price. cm *** Who Pays the Price for India's Corporate Welfare? (28.01.06) Two reasons are given for India's economic attractiveness: well-educated, inexpensive high-tech workers and a booming internal market. But there is a third, more important motive that attracts investors: the abundance of incentives and sweetners offered by the Indian government to foreign corporations. Incredibly India: The Biggest Democracy for Global Investors: With this slogan, omnipresent in Davos, India takes a jab at China and at the same time makes clear: India is rolling out the red carpet for foreign investors. The enticements include tax breaks, tariff relief and inexpensive building sites already outfitted with the necessary infrastructure. Exemptions are also made to the applicable environmental and labor legislation. Since the individual Indian states are competing for investments, firms can combine individual and state benefits. And for large projects there are not only the standard incentives, but also tailor-made contracts and incentive packets, whose details remain secret. The most extensive enticements are granted in the special economic zones, which are under the direct authority of the central government's Trade and Industry Ministry. Eleven such regions already exist, and a further 42 have been approved. The Trade Minister manages these zones himself; his colleagues in the Departments of Environment and Finance have no say. Former finance minister Jaswant Singh has complained, in vain, about the loss of tax authority over these zones. Exemptions Without Rules Labor laws find only a rudimentary application in the special economic zones. All firms are treated as public utilities, which means that workers may not strike. A toy factory has the same status as state-operated water and electricity utilities. Normal working hours and overtime as well as wages do not need to be made public, and there are no regular inspections for compliance with safety and health standards. In addition, no
Re: [Assam] Hamilton Court
Well Dear Umesh, I am staying in Gurgaon for the last 5 yrs. Regarding your query about doing something for the displaced people, my focus is towards doing something for the people of Assam as of now.:) nbsp; Rgds Mridul --- On Tue, 6/10/08, umesh sharma lt;[EMAIL PROTECTED]gt; wrote: From: umesh sharma lt;[EMAIL PROTECTED]gt; Subject: Re: [Assam] Hamilton Court To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world lt;assam@assamnet.orggt;, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 9:34 PM The govt should provide for the people. Thats what the govt is for. If private individuals or corporations take it up on their own - then is it back to the good ol' days of East India Company running India? Is that what we Indians want? That make it the job of the corporations to run the country's infrastructure. We citizens want to avoid all duties and only talk about rights. Mridul-da what are your plans to do something for these displaced people - I ask since you stay in Delhi ( I presume). Umesh uttam borthakur lt;[EMAIL PROTECTED]gt; wrote: (Mridul, I find in your matter of fact attitude a fresh whiff of air:-) I was inquring about you.) The following is directed to all our friends here:- ? Are the land deals of the real estate business aboveborad? In India, some governments are taking over land from small landowners for pittance called compensation on the plea of developing SEZs. Then, such SEZs do not come up. When the dispossessed demand the land back, they are not returned their land and instead those are handed over to real estate business for considerations other than those that are reflected. VP Singh too raised the question of allottment of land to the Ambanis at lopsidedly low prices near Delhi in a TV program recently. This is what is called 'private enterprise' in India and of course in Russia or any other countries where suave economic extractions give way to the extra-economic ones that may include intimidation, threat, murder etc (A recent Delhi killing of an encounter specialist is a pointer). It seems Balzac is still not irrelevant about crime behind great fortunes. You can be comfortable with honest money, but not that rich anyday, apologists notwithstanding. Mridul Bhuyan wrote: Yes, they (DLF, UNITECH etc.) are doing some work but those are not proportional to the money they are making. Further, in almost 50% areas, major constructions are going on and the migrating labour poulation along with others are putting a heavy burden on the limited infrastructure. So, the population growth out numbers the facility requirement. Even I know of many NGOs, many individuals, who are also contributing for providing better life amp; education to the poor. If the Govt. make some social obligations (school, roads, health care for the migrant labour population working under these companies) mandatory for these companies while granting permissions to their ventures, the situation will definitely improve. Rgds Mridul Bhuyan --- On Tue, 6/10/08, Dilipamp;Dil Deka wrote: From: Dilipamp;Dil Deka Subject: [Assam] Hamilton Court To: ASSAMNET Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 11:05 AM I did a little checking on Hamilton Court and its developer DLF Properties. If what they claim they are doing for corporate responsibility, they are on the right track and there should be more of them. Can we believe what we see on their website? May be someone from Delhi can tell us. Visit http://www.dlf.in/wps/portal/DLFCity?jspName=investors/corporate_social_responsibility.jsp There should be no shame in their making money from the high income earners, if they also donate part of it to the community around them. Dilip Deka ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Uttam Kumar Borthakur - Share files, take polls, and make new friends - all under one roof. Click here. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Sent from Yahoo! Mail. A Smarter Email. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
