SDF OBSERVES GARIB UTTHAN DIWAS Chamling announces Rs. 80 crore outlay to power rural homestay tourism

GANGTOK, Sept 22: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today announced an ambitious plan to facilitate the setting up of home-stay tourism options at 1,000 homes across the State. Rs. 80 crore has been earmarked for this project, which the CM highlighted, will turn around the rural economy and involve rural-folk more intimately as stakeholders in the tourism sector.
The CM made this announcement which addressing the Garib Utthan Diwas [Poverty Alleviation Day] of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front today at the party head office here at Indira Byepass. The SDF observes the day coinciding with its party president, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling’s birthday. Mr. Chamling turned 63 today.
The day also celebrates the day in the year 1993, when Mr. Chamling had returned to Sikkim after a 3-month spell spent ‘underground’ following his breaking away from Sikkim Sangram Parishad.
“SDF party came to power in December 1994 and has done tremendous work to reduce poverty from 42 percent in 1993 to 8 percent at present. The poverty rate has declined remarkably and we are becoming more prosperous than other states of the North East like Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh”, said the CM while addressing party workers today.
He also announced a series of party programmes and said that the government plans to make hundred more tourist spots in Sikkim to attract more tourists and also to entice them to stay in Sikkim on longer holidays. The new destinations will have potential to keep tourists back for 100-day holidays, Mr. Chamling shared.
The state government has also taken a policy decision to develop 1,000 home stays in rural areas promoting and providing rural employment and empowering the Sikkimese youth, said the CM. The state government has earmarked Rs 80 crore to build rural home stays as the next step towards promoting rural tourism, he added.
Earlier, he stated that the pending bills of various departments will be cleared before Dussehra. The salary of ASHA workers which is pending will be released along with the old age pensions, he further announced.
While addressing party workers, Mr. Chamling said that all the party workers are equally responsible to take decisions at their own level upholding the party policies and programmes while working within the framework of the party rules. No one in the party is above the law and rules, he added.
Refraining from taking any names the CM did take a dig at the Opposition formed of former party colleagues. Of them, he said that “undesirable elements” leaving the party was a good sign suggesting reform within the party.
Cautioning party workers, he said that growing selfishness within the party workers and leaders was causing inner conflicts which he said is not a good sign for a democratic party and practice.
Earlier the reports on Youth Awareness Programme and Zonal Committee for South and West were submitted to the party president by the party vice president and In-charge Youth, Ugen T. Gyatso.
The CM also inaugurated a music studio, Sargam Sikkim Studio, and launched an album recorded in the studio. The studio, located near the party head office, aims to provide opportunities to the talents of Sikkim it is informed.
The program also saw the release of several books while the CM was also felicitated by the Central Executive Committee of the party for bringing development in the state.