Aizawl: The Congress party accused the Mizo National Front of alleged widespread corruption and embezzlement within the Mizoram State Lottery on Wednesday. Speaking to media persons, the Congress party officials presented a series of claims that suggest top-level ministers, bureaucrats, and private entities have been colluding for personal gains at the expense of Mizoram’s state revenues.
The Congress officials stated that over the past five years, there have been alarming allegations of corruption and financial irregularities surrounding the organisation of lotteries in Mizoram. The party accused high-ranking ministers and bureaucrats of actively participating in these corrupt practices, which are allegedly facilitated in collusion with private parties. These activities have had severe financial repercussions on the state, causing substantial losses.
The Mizoram State Lottery, previously renowned for its vigilance and efficient monitoring, has now been dragged into the centre of corruption, according to the officials.
The Congress Party presented a stark contrast between the potential revenues the state could have generated and the actual earnings over the last five years. As per the official statement of Mizoram State Lotteries officials before the Supreme Court, the minimum revenue generation capacity by the Mizoram State Lotteries was estimated at Rs 20 lakh per day, equivalent to approximately Rs 72,40,00,000 (Seventy Two Crores) annually. In total, the state government of Mizoram should have earned Rs 275,60,00,000 in the past five years, based on these projections.
However, due to the alleged corrupt practices involving top-level ministers and bureaucrats, the actual revenue earned by the state in the past five years was only a meager Rs 31,34,13,730. This implies that the total revenue earned in five years was only half of what the state could have generated in a single year, they said.
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Even when adhering to the agreement between the state of Mizoram and distributors, the state government should have earned Rs 257,81,52,623 in the last five years but the state government, in collusion with private parties, has diverted these funds away from the state treasury for personal gain, they added.
The Congress party also questioned the Mizoram National Front (MNF) regime’s decisions regarding lottery agreements. They noted that the state government had terminated an earlier agreement with M/s Skill Lotto Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and M/s B.S. Enterprises, only to re-enter into a new agreement with the same parties at significantly reduced rates.
Also Read | Debt, no jobs, run-down schools: On the eve of elections, what ails Mizoram?
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