Achhe Din continue for locals

GOOD TIMES TO BE A ‘LOCAL’ IN SIKKIM
It’s a good time to be a local in Sikkim. The benefits and facilities being showered upon this segment by the government in its fifth term in power have taken on a new dimension. The State Government seems to be directing its earnest focus and delivering on promise made on local protection. It will be recalled that the issue of local protection was a major agenda of the SDF party in the run up to the general elections this year and is also listed in its manifesto. It is all ‘achhe din’ for holders of domicile certificates.
From exemption from paying school or college fees to preference and exclusivity in the awarding of various licenses, it’s local all the way this time. And no one’s complaining either. The new government started this year with its local bent of mind with the declaration of driving licenses only for locals and continued it with the declaration that trade licenses too, would now only be issued to those possessing Sikkim Subject Certificates or Certificates of Identification.
The affirmation over local protection continues. Allotment of shopping spaces in shopping complexes will now be to locals only.
In a new announcement, the state government has notified that henceforth, all allotment of shop rooms/open space will be made only to those applicants who are unemployed and holders of Sikkim Subject Certificates and CoIs. UD&HD, the nodal department, will now allot shop rooms and open spaces in shopping complexes all over the state only to unemployed “locals”. This decision, as informed, has been taken considering the shortage of shop rooms and also in view of the large number of local unemployed applicants.
The UD&HD has also notified that urban local bodies are to issue trade and hawker licenses only to local applicants possessing SSCs and Certificates of Identification. While the announcement to this effect had been made earlier by the new SDF government the department has issued a notification to this effect a few weeks ago.
It has further been informed that trade and hawker licenses are also to be issued to Residential Certificate holders residing in Sikkim since before 1975; however these can be issued only after obtaining approval from the Secretary, UD&HD. All applications for trade licenses by holders of Residential Certificates residing here since before 1975 are to be forwarded to the Secretary, UD&HD for approval, it is informed.
Continuing with the ‘achhe din’ for locals, the department has also notified that preference will be given to locals in the issuing of trade licenses particularly the local educated unemployed. This has been effected through an amendment to the Sikkim Trade License and Miscellaneous Provision Rules, 2011.
Not just in trade and commerce activities, the emphasis of local protection and empowerment is being demonstrated in other areas as well. Recently, the government took the momentous decision to regularize Muster Roll and Work Charged employees with over 15 years of service. Here too, only those possessing Sikkim Subjects or Certificates of Identification were declared eligible for regularization. While this is already guaranteed by Rule 4[4], in order to sort out those who possessed these domiciles and those that didn’t departmental committees were set up which then went about conducting a sort of survey asking the same question to the employees. And before that, the government had exempted all school and college fees for local students.