Just when you thought that you had seen the mother of all scams (2G), the UPA brings you a bigger one.-The S-band scam. In this one, the agreement relates to ISRO's launching of two satellites for Devas but automatically bestows on the latter a large hidden benefit: unbridled use of 70 MHz of the scarce S-band spectrum over a 20-year period. The preliminary estimated cost to the exchequer Rs. 2.0 Lakh crores. Breathtaking, isn’t it?
The points to note here are as follows:
a. The recipient of this largesse is Devas Multimedia Private Ltd. Devas Multimedia is a company in which Deutsche Telekom is a minority equity stakeholder. Dr. M.G. Chandrasekhar, Devas Multimedia Chairman, is a former Scientific Secretary at ISRO.
b. S-band spectrum was allocated without inviting competitive bids. Organizational control systems were not followed. The Prime Minister’s Office, the Cabinet, and the Space Commission have not been properly informed about the contract details, including the underestimation of ISRO’s costs. Public resources were diverted to build two customer-specific satellites. Devas Multimedia’s terms deviate from those in past commercial contracts of ISRO/Antrix
c. ISRO is under the Department of Space (DoS), which is directly in the Prime Minister's charge.
If such a scam went unnoticed in a department which is directly under the MP Manmohan Singh’s charge, what can we expect from other departments. If we cannot call the PM dirty, at the very least we can accuse him of burying his head in the sand like an ostrich. Since the owner of Devas used to head the ISRO, we can safely assume that he is a very well connected man in the politician-babu circles.
The BJP have taken it upon themselves to bring this one out in the open. I certainly hope that they would be relentless about it and force the culprits out in the open. We cannot have the aam aadmi dying of hunger and cold when politicians and babus are becoming richer and richer. The status quo is completely unacceptable. I hope the Indian voters are paying attention.
CAG goes after another spectrum deal
Under the deal, Devas Multimedia is to get access to 70 Mhz of broadband spectrum in the 2500 Mhz band. This was once used by Doordarshan to deliver programmes by satellite to all parts of the country but is now considered to be of enormous commercial value for high-speed, terrestrial mobile communications. In 2010, the Union government got nearly Rs. 67,719 crore from the auction of just 15 Mhz of similar airwaves for 3G mobile services.
The article can be read at:http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1162730.ece
The points to note here are as follows:
a. The recipient of this largesse is Devas Multimedia Private Ltd. Devas Multimedia is a company in which Deutsche Telekom is a minority equity stakeholder. Dr. M.G. Chandrasekhar, Devas Multimedia Chairman, is a former Scientific Secretary at ISRO.
b. S-band spectrum was allocated without inviting competitive bids. Organizational control systems were not followed. The Prime Minister’s Office, the Cabinet, and the Space Commission have not been properly informed about the contract details, including the underestimation of ISRO’s costs. Public resources were diverted to build two customer-specific satellites. Devas Multimedia’s terms deviate from those in past commercial contracts of ISRO/Antrix
c. ISRO is under the Department of Space (DoS), which is directly in the Prime Minister's charge.
If such a scam went unnoticed in a department which is directly under the MP Manmohan Singh’s charge, what can we expect from other departments. If we cannot call the PM dirty, at the very least we can accuse him of burying his head in the sand like an ostrich. Since the owner of Devas used to head the ISRO, we can safely assume that he is a very well connected man in the politician-babu circles.
The BJP have taken it upon themselves to bring this one out in the open. I certainly hope that they would be relentless about it and force the culprits out in the open. We cannot have the aam aadmi dying of hunger and cold when politicians and babus are becoming richer and richer. The status quo is completely unacceptable. I hope the Indian voters are paying attention.
CAG goes after another spectrum deal
Under the deal, Devas Multimedia is to get access to 70 Mhz of broadband spectrum in the 2500 Mhz band. This was once used by Doordarshan to deliver programmes by satellite to all parts of the country but is now considered to be of enormous commercial value for high-speed, terrestrial mobile communications. In 2010, the Union government got nearly Rs. 67,719 crore from the auction of just 15 Mhz of similar airwaves for 3G mobile services.
The article can be read at:http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1162730.ece
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