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Elders concerned over stamp scam

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI DEC. 22. Members in the Rajya Sabha today expressed concern over the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam and demanded strict action against the guilty even as the Congress suggested setting up of a task force to go into the root of the problem and find out how the money earned from it was put to use.

Participating in a short duration discussion on the scam, Prithiviraj Chavan (Congress) said the task force comprising officials of the top investigating and enforcement agencies should be set up to study whether the Indian Security Presses (ISP) in the country should be operated like companies. He also suggested that the Government consider creating a special service to handle such serious financial crimes on the lines of the secret service of the United States, which was responsible, both for the security of the President and currency.

Describing the scam as unprecedented, he said the Finance Ministry should tell Parliament the exact extent of revenue loss to the States year-wise and whether reports that the money so generated was used to finance terrorist operations or the underworld were true.

Charging that a scam of this magnitude could not have occurred without connivance at the top, he also sought to know the handling of the ISP, which function directly under the Finance Ministry. He said the Government must reveal how the system was breached and an operator had managed to market fake stamp papers in various parts of the country. B.P. Apte (BJP) wanted to know where the scam money had gone and said that unless the end use was found, the country might end up with another scam. He also said attempt should be made to find out the chain of mismanagement and ways to break any nexus. R. Ramachandraiah (TDP) said there was a need for a proper regulatory system while Dipankar Mukherjee (CPI-M) sought to know the role of the executive in it.

Another Congress member, Janardhan Poojary, stood up in defence of the Karnataka Government, saying it had provided the Centre with whatever information it had on the scam. A Special Investigation Team has been probing the scam in Karnataka.

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