Ex-gratia for local drivers killed in accidents hiked by Rs. One lakh

Vishnu Neopaney

The state government has enhanced the ex-gratia grant for drivers killed in road accidents from Rs 2 to Rs 3 lakh. On 02 September, the Department of Transport, Motor Vehicle Division, notified the state government policy enhancing ex-gratia grant to the kin of drivers killed in road accidents.

The King of all Asanas

HEADSTAND is also called the King of all Asanas in yoga. Headstands stimulate and provide refreshed blood to the pituitary and hypothalamus glands. These glands are vital to our well-being, and are considered the master glands that regulate all other glands in the body (thyroid, pineal, and adrenals). Headstand relieves pressure in your lower back and your lower body’s veins, particularly those in your legs. Headstand gives your lungs a workout, making you breathe deeper. It makes you think clear and improves sleep. In yoga therapy headstand is also used to treat eye related problems.

No Honk Gangtok

Hoteliers and restaurateurs propose ban on honking

Sikkim Hotel and Restaurant Association [SHRA] has proposed that the state government initiate measures and set rules to minimize vehicular honking within the capital as well as come up with a long term plan to educate citizens on the nuisance created by unnecessary honking.

Making Unequal Citizens: Nepal’s denial of women’s identities has parallels in Sikkim

Women’s groups in Nepal are up in arms against unequal citizenship rights that even the new Constitution the country adopted on 20 September continues to perpetuate. Even as the new constitution appears to accord greater rights to women in terms of citizenship, in principle, the refusal to recognize women’s identity as completely detached from that of the Nepalese man remains.
The change that has been made in the new constitution is the requirement for children of Nepali women married to foreigners to be born in Nepal to gain naturalized citizenship. This has been removed and Article 12 of the new constitution allows for the citizenship certificate in either of the parents’ name and also carries their gender identity.
However, children of single Nepalese women must be born in Nepal to qualify for citizenship by descent while it is not so for children of Nepalese men. Children of Nepalese women married to foreigners can only obtain naturalized citizenship while children of Nepalese men married to foreigners get citizenship by descent.

Court directs State Govt to establish dispensaries in jails, within four weeks

VISHNU NEOPANEY

The division bench of the High Court of Sikkim has directed the State Government though the Health department to establish dispensaries in the Central Jail at Rongyek and district prison at Namchi within a month with all the possible facilities of nursing staff and resident doctor.
While hearing the suo moto PIL taken up by it after the Supreme Court directed the all High Courts to take up the PIL within their respective jurisdictions and supervise and direct the state government providing such facilities for inmates in jail and directed the state to establish temporary in both the jails with all facilities relating to the staff structure, conservative arrangements and medicines as provided in the Jail Manual.

Health Deptt realizes there is a Dengue outbreak in Delhi

The Health Department convened a meeting on 21 September to discuss the outbreak of Dengue fever in Delhi and to formulate the plan of activities in the state for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The meeting was chaired by DG cum Secretary Health, Dr K Bhandari and was attended by Medical Superintendent, STNM Hospital, SPO, NVBDCP & SSO IDSP, an IPR press release informs.

Milan’s honesty continues to win accolades

Rebyna Rana

Milan Rai, a security guard employed with the Sikkim Security Force and posted at the Central Referral Hospital, was awarded a certificate of appreciation by Governor Shriniwas Patil for his honesty and integrity in retrieving a package containing a substantial amount of cash [Rs 2.50 Lakh] which he handed over to its rightful owner.
He has also been awarded certificates of appreciation for the Best Employee of the year 2015 and also for the Best Supervision in Duties of the Year 2015, by the Sikkim Security Force [SSF] and Allied Management Private Ltd, during the "3rd Annual Function & SFF Foundation Day 2015" held on 20 September 2015, here in the premises of SSF Office, Lumsey. A total of 36 guards were awarded certificates in different categories.

Wider contests this time, and Tadong continues to attract the widest contests

Municipal Elections 2015

Subash Rai

After the final date of withdrawal of nominations on Saturday, 19 September, it is now confirmed that a total of 107 candidates will be battling for 42 seats of the upcoming urban body elections 2015. Out of total 53 seats, the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front has already registered uncontested wins in 11 wards including all five seats of Mangan Nagar Panchayat, five out of seven in Gyalshing Municipal Council and one seat out of the total seven in Namchi Municipal Council.

GANGTOK MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

While this is good news for SDF, the scenario this time is very different from the April 2010 municipal elections when the party had a clean sweep with almost all the wards won uncontested.  Out of total 47 seats at that time, the party had won 44 uncontested. SDF had to contest only three wards viz. Tadong and Burtuk wards of Gangtok Municipal Corporation and Rangpo Upper Bazar seat of Rangpo Nagar Panchayat. Later, it registered comfortable wins in these wards keeping its hold in all the urban bodies.
This time, for 42 seats, the SDF has to face challenge from 54 candidates including 42 of Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, three from Bharatiya Janata Party and nine Independents. Like in the 2010 municipal elections, the ruling party will fight its widest battles in GMC’s Tadong area, two wards of which have the highest number of candidates in the fray at five each.

Sikkim lobbying with MPs to build support for IT exemption for left out Sikkimese

Vishnu Neopaney

The state government is lobbying with MPs of neighbouring states and Northeast to support the demand for exemption of direct tax to left-out communities and old settlers of Sikkim.

A Municipal Election of Challenges

The much awaited urban local body elections 2015 are now in the offing. The State Election Commission has declared 09 October as voting day, counting on 12th, and by 15 October the election process will be over. With that, all the four districts of Sikkim will have their respective urban representatives for the next five years. As expected earlier, there will be having two cornered contest between the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front and the opposition Sikkim Krantikari Morcha.
The SDF has fielded candidates from all the 53 wards in the seven municipal bodies of the State. On the other hand, SKM has concentrated primarily in areas where it had gained some hold in the general elections. SKM is contesting from all the 17 seats of the Gangtok Municipal Corporation as it had swept the assembly elections here with six of its nine MLAs, including party president PS Tamang having on from assembly constituencies comprising of areas within and around what is now the GMC. Similarly, the party is also contesting from all the seven seats of Nayabazar-Jorethang Municipal Council and five each seats of Singtam and Rangpo Nagar Panchayats.