THIS HAS TO BE WRONG!

A yak “grazes” in the garbage dump at Tsomgo, below the lake and tucked away behind the shopping complex there. Brought down from its pastures so that visitors to this popular tourist destination can ride a “majestic” yak, this one must surely be feeling cheated. This is definitely not on. The concerned authorities should ensure that this photo-op is not offered again.

Blood donation camp held at Rhenock College

GANGTOK The Red Ribbon Club of the Government College, Rhenock, organised a blood donation camp at the college on Friday.
Thirty six people, comprising of students, lecturers, non-teaching staff and 13 students from Rhenock Senior Secondary School, donated blood at the camp, informs Tashi Topgay Bhutia, the coordinator, Red Ribbion Club.
The medical team supervising the camp was led by Dr. CM Sharma of the Blood Bank, senior technicians DR Dhakal and Anil Pakhrin, Senior Nurse Chenzong Lepcha, counselor Yamuna Dungyal, technician Khenzong Namgyal Lepcha and lab-technician Sunita Subba.

Fire razes Ekra hut at Lumsey, bush-fire singes Chandmari

GANGTOK: A one-room Ekra structure was razed to the ground Friday morning here at Upper Lumsey, 5th Mile, Tadong. While the hut could not be saved, the tireless efforts and quick action of the neighbours ensured that the fire did not to spread neighbouring houses.
The Gangtok Fire Station received a call at around 9:20 AM regarding the fire, but arrived at the spot to find that the locals had prevented it from spreading.

RB Subba breaks silence of Singling incident, alleges “Goley Camp” instigated violence and misrepresentation

GANGTOK: Roads & Bridges Minister, RB Subba, broke his silence on the Singling violence Friday and presented his stand on the recent incident in which his supporters are alleged to have attacked a local resident while the Minister was on a door-to-door campaign there on 18 March. [background on Singling here, here, here, here, here and here]  
Addressing a press conference here at the Sikkim Legislative Assembly conference hall, the Minister stated that the incident had been “blown out of proportion” by the media and supporters of opposition parties, including the disaffected SDF MLA, PS Tamang (Goley).

EMRS girls triumph again, lift trophy at SAS

GANGTOK: Eklavya Model Residential School [EMRS], Gangyap, junior girls have lifted the champion’s trophy of the basketball tournament organised by St Augustine School, Kalimpong, as part of its diamond jubilee carnival.
In the closely played final match today, EMRS edged past St Philomena School, Kalimpong, 34-31.
Not only the winner’s trophy, EMRS’s Bimochan Tamang was adjudged the Player of the Tournament and team captain, Diki Doma Bhutia, awarded for her performance as the Highest Scorer.
EMRS made it to the finals thrashing St George School, Pedong, 51-06, then Loreto Convent [Darjeeling] 46-0 points and finally Rockwell Academy [Kalimpong], 56-02 points.
Over 25 schools had taken part in the tournament played on 24 and 25 March.

Speaking in Tongues on Languages

The Zonal Official Language Felicitation Function and Colloquium for Eastern & North-Eastern Region was held on Thursday, and Sunday, 27 March, is when the country usually observes the National Regional Languages Day. Both are official efforts at nurturing Hindi, the official language of the Indian Union, and the bouquet of around 22 regional languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution which secures them official language status. The health of the official language of the nation was obviously compromised, because it had to be more than just ultra-nationalism which led to the creation of a Department of Official Language under the Ministry of Home Affairs with the prescribed duty to “speed-up propagation and development of Official Language Hindi and also to accelerate its progressive use for official purposes”. That was in 1975, and the Department keeps busy still, ensuring “compliance” of the Constitutional and legal provisions regarding the official language and to promote the use of Hindi for official purposes of the Union. Frankly speaking, one of the handicaps imposed on the language is governmental involvement, because this ends up straitjacketing the language. For example, in Sikkim, where Hindi is not the lingua franca, everyone still prefers to receive their entertainment in this language, but when comes to offiacialese, the language turns alien. Efforts to promote use of the language, because the responsibility is tasked to a government department, settle down to the convenient tokenism of getting new signboards painted and letterheads incorporating Devanagari printed. This is not to suggest that Hindi-usage should be more imaginatively promoted, because there is much that can be argued against any artificial incorporation of a language, but is highlighted to project how even the regional languages here are being treated.

Govt Driver’s Assc prez announces candidature and team for ASGEA elections

GANGTOK: President, All Sikkim Government Driver’s Association, CB Rai, Friday announced his team for the upcoming elections to the Central Executive Committee of the All Sikkim Government Employees Association [ASGEA].
It may be recalled that upon completion of its term, the CEC led by Narsing Rai was dissolved recently and fresh elections announced for 09 April.

KN Upreti and six others expelled from Congress

GANGTOK, 25 March: The Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee, at an emergency meeting held today at its head office here, expelled KN Upreti and six other members from the Congress for anti-party activities.
The other six expelled members are: Phuchung Bhutia, Bharat Basnet, Avinash Yakha, Arun Rai, Laxuman Gurung and Nima Wangchuk Bhutia.
A press release issued by SPCC spokesperson Kunga Nima Lepcha, informs that meeting, chaired by the SPCC president Nar Bahadur Bhandari, was attended by PCC, DCC and members of the frontal organisations. The meeting discussed the replies received to the showcause notices served to the seven Congress members, “headed” by Mr. Upreti, “for their continuous anti-party activities”.

Inner-city road upgradation gets Rs. 1.80 crores more

GANGTOK, 25 March [IPR]: A Cabinet Meeting held Friday in the Cabinet Hall of Tashiling Secretariat, approved proposals of various department of the state government.
These are:
UD&HD: The Cabinet approved the proposal seeking approval for revised cost for improvement, modification and upgradation of inner city roads amounting to Rs. 48.96 crores with an additional sanction of Rs. 1.80 crores.
Energy & Power Deptt: The Cabinet approved the proposal seeking approval and sanction for implementation of drawing of 66KV Transmission line including installation of 2 x 7.5 MVA .66/11 KV Sub-station at Marchak at East Sikkim at a total project cost of Rs. 1197.00 lakhs including state share of Rs. 296.31 lakhs.
Deptt of Cultural Affairs & Heritage: The Cabinet approved the proposal seeking approval and sanction of Rs. 25 lakhs as second installment for construction of traditional house against a total sanction of Rs. 50 lakhs.
The Cabinet also approved the proposal seeking administrative approval and sanction of Rs. 14.34 lakhs as honorarium to 956 beneficiaries @ Rs. 500 month for three months under Samajik Sewa Bhatta.

Official language felicitation and colloquium convened at Chintan Bhawan

GANGTOK: “Sikkim does not have the culture to converse in Hindi and the regional Nepali language is the mode of communication here. However, this does not mean that Hindi has taken a back seat, since it is now being used tremendously here,” shared Governor BP Singh at the Zonal Official Language Felicitation Function and Colloquium for Eastern and North-Eastern Regions, during which 50 individuals were honoured, held at Chintan Bhawan on Thursday.
The function was organized by the Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs.

Worker woes flicker at Sikkim Jewels as closure date approaches

SUBASH RAI
GANGTOK, 24 March: As the deadline for the winding up of three Public Sector Undertakings - Sikkim Jewels, SITCO and SPIL – approaches nearer, potential problems for the Department of Commerce & Industries are also mounting.
Speaking on behalf of the106 workers at Sikkim Jewels Ltd., a 5-member committee, today expressed dissatisfaction over the financial settlement worked out for them by their management as part of the Special Financial Package [SFP] announced by the State Government for the employees of these PSUs being shut down.

TB’s tenacity worries despite high rate of successful treatment

SAGAR CHHETRI
GANGTOK: Despite a very high rate of successful treatment, the tenacity of the number of tuberculosis cases detected in the State every year has become a matter of serious concern for the society at large and the concerned authorities. The State Tuberculosis Cell has been recording around 1,700 new cases of TB every year, the consistency of this number being worrying. On the brighter side though, most of the cases are cured through the DOTS method of treatment.
This problem of the numbers not falling is not unique to Sikkim and also grips the country and other parts of the world, it is learnt. To marshal people's support  to contain this disease, 24 March is observed as the World Tuberculosis Day every year.

Akhil Sikkim Khas Chettri Bahun Sangh calls elections

GANGTOK: A meeting of the central working committee of the Ahkil Sikkim Khas Chettri Bahun Sangh, convened on 18 March, resolved to hold elections for its central working committee on 22 April, with the counting of the votes scheduled for the same evening.
The elections will be for the posts of president, vice- president, general secretary, treasurer and publicity secretary, informs a press release.

Sikkim-made Nepali movie, Ishara, to premiere on 07 April

GANGTOK: ‘Ishara’, the debut of popular Nepali film actress, Uma Baby, as a producer, is set for its premiere on 07 April at Vajra Cinema Hall here. Chief Minister Pawan Chamling is scheduled to attend as the chief guest of the premier show being organised by the Arithang Cooperative Society.
This movie, completed on a budget of Rs 70 lakhs, is directed by Sabir Shrestha and primarily features artists from Sikkim, besides some artists from Nepal in lead roles.

Resuscitating Creativity

editorial:
There is an exhibition of art installations underway in the heart of Gangtok. Slightly further away, a painters’ workshop and an art appreciation workshop plays with paints and canvas. Rachna Books has been courageously making space for artistic expressions even as it battles on to build an appetite for books in an otherwise DPR-obsessed Gangtok. At another end of town, EchoStreams, a community of artists and designers chip away to inject some aesthetic professionalism into how Sikkim sees and presents itself. A clutch of poets have been penning some soul-stirring works. Writer groups and informed audiences of the performing arts have also been actively engaging in other parts of the State even if their works are not reaching out to a larger audience.
These are recent developments, some, still works in process, but they warm the heart with their earnestness to resuscitate an appreciation for creative expression in Sikkim.

THE WORLD CUP IN NAMCHI!

Now that the Cricket World Cup has reached the knock-out stage with minnows finally out of the way, viewership too has ratcheted up. Big-screen TVs have started occupying convenient public spaces, bringing stadium-like excitement to cricket viewing even in the hills.
Here, the India-Australia match being enjoyed in Namchi. Alma Computer & Technical Education Centre of Namchi fixed up a projection display of the match at the Central Park. This was on the initiative of the centre head Dipen Subba and DR Chettri and had the OC, Namchi Police Station, CB Basnet, over as the guest of honour to boot.

SPIL workers seek alternate employment

PURAN TAMANG
NAMCHI\: Workers at the Sikkim Precision Industry Limited, one of the three PSUs slated for closure come 01 April following the recommendation of the State Level Committee on Disinvestment/ Privatization, have not come to terms with the loss of employment facing them, the Special Financial Package being offered to them notwithstanding.
While the three PSUs in question – Sikkim Jewels and SITCO apart from SPIL – have a combined roll of 280 workers, there are 67 workers at SPIL [60 regular and 7 casual workers]. The lot at SPIL at Boomtar here maintain that they want alternative employment instead of the termination which faces them now.
The SPIL Workers Association president, Bijay Rai, said today, “The government is forcefully retiring us from our jobs. While we are not against the government, we are also worried about our collective futures and are taking recourse to our Constitutional right to place our demand for alternative employment with the Government.”

Mangan enrolls for CATCH

MANGAN, 24 March: A special programme for enrolment of beneficiaries under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Annual and Total Check-up for Healthy Sikkim (CATCH) was held at Mangan District hospital from 22 to 24 March for the public of Mangan Nagar Panchayat.

Prayers held at Ben-Namprik monastery for Japan and lives lost to untoward incidents

NAMCHI: The invocation of Kangyur and Tengyur texts was held at Karma Chholing Monastery at Ben-Namprik village. The prayer, which had begun on 20 March and concluded yesterday and is held after every three years, were initiated under the guidance of Dorjee Lopen Dupda Tshering Dhendup supported by the gumpa committee.
This prayer, it is informed, were held for general world peace, and more specifically for the victims of the Japan disaster, the death of animals due to the prevailing slew of forest fires and the sufferings imposed by anti-social incidents.
On the last day, area MLA BS Pant and Sangha MLA Pheetok Tshering Lama also joined the prayers. Devotees of Ben Namprik.

Cabinet sanctions wide bouquet of proposals

GANGTOK [IPR]: A Cabinet meeting was held on 21 March in the Cabinet Hall of Tashiling Secretariat, Gangtok.
The Cabinet approved various proposals of various department of the State government in its meeting.
The Cabinet took up the following proposals:

Day-2 of Budget Session closes quick, passes 3 amendment Bills, receives two more

GANGTOK: The three amendment Bills introduced in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly yesterday - the Code of Criminal Procedure Amendment Bill [CPAB], the Sikkim Transport Infrastructure Development Fund (Amendment) Bill, introduced by the Chief Minister who also holds the Home portfolio, and the Sikkim Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill introduced by the concerned Minister, Ran Bahadur Subba, were unanimously passed by the House Thursday without any discussions.
The second day of the six day-long assembly made quick work of the proceedings. None of the legislators offered any discussions and all that was left for the CM to do today was to table the motion of thanks for the Governor’s address which was passed, as were the amendment Bills tabled yesterday.

"Gardens of Nature" TV Promo for Sikkim Supreme by Echostream

A 37 sec advertisement designed for broadcasting purpose in the local television stressing on the cultural strand of the brand and nature. It was designed also to position the brand in the markets outside Sikkim and to create a distinct identity for a "made in sikkim" product. 

Client: Government Fruit Preservation Factory(GFPF)

Duration:37 secs
Location: Sang, East Sikkim
Produced and Directed by: Karma Palzor, Echostream Pvt. Ltd
Original Music Score: Karma Palzor and Ranveer Singh
Dance Group: Hamro Parivar, Gangtok

Community mobilization for quality education at Labdang

A community-mobilization programme under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan was organized at Labdang Junior High School in West Sikkim yesterday for Panchayat members, School Management Committee members, teachers, students and the residents of Kongri-Labdang GPU. More than 200 community members, 150 students and around 11 teachers of Labdang JHS and Kongri Primary School attended the day long programme, informs a press communiqué received from the HRDD Assistant Director, Yuksam BAC, PG Bhutia
The main objective of the community mobilization initiative was to brief the stakeholders on the various policies and programmes of HRD Department and to generate community support and participation to improve the quality of education.

HSRP deadline to be extended

GANGTOK, 22 March: The Motor Vehicles Division of the Transport Department has decided to relax the deadline issued to vehicle owners to affix High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) in the State.
The Department, through a Notification No. 140/MV/T dated 17 January 2011 had directed that all commercial vehicles, motor/ maxi cabs and goods carriers be fitted with HSRP by 31 January 2011.
Speaking to NOW! today, Secretary, State Transport Authority, TT Sherpa, said, “The Department has decided to extend the notification’s tenure by another two or three months, and this notification will be released soon.”

Save Them

editorial:

Sikkim lost two 16-year-olds to suicide on Tuesday [newsreport here]. When this newspaper started reporting on incidents of suicide, it was in the hope that as such reports started appearing more often in newspapers, the concerned agencies, particularly the society at large, will notice the disturbingly high incidence rate and wake up to the need to address this problem. In the initial years, people did take notice, the government attempted a series of sensitisation programmes on suicides in schools and through panchayats. Even though these efforts were mostly superficial and poorly-informed, at least a start was made. Or so one thought, because like with everything which arrives without a groundswell of a grassroots demand, even these efforts remained perfunctory and the momentum was lost.

Budget session begins upbeat with kitty heftier by 62%

OUTLAY ENHANCEMENT HAS COME IN RECOGNITION OF GOOD GOVERNANCE AND EFFECTIVE DELIVERY, GOVERNOR EXPLAINS
PER CAPITA INCOME HAS INCREASED 17% IN ONE YEAR
GANGTOK: The six-day long Budget Session 2011 of the State Legislative Assembly began Wednesday on a mood buoyed by the fact that the Plan Outlay for the fiscal year ahead is a massive 62% increase over last year.
In his address to the House on the first day of the session, Governor Balmiki Prasad Singh brought further positive tidings with the announcement that latest data has revealed that the per capita income of the State has increased more than 17 percent in one year, from 2008-09 to 2009-10. Per capita income, at current prices for 2009-10, stands at Rs. 57,637, a healthy 17.14% higher than the Rs. 49,201 posted in 2008-09.
He said that the top priority of the government has been to harness the State’s rich natural resources to ensure sustainable economic development and self-reliance of the Sikkimese people. The results are now showing.
The Governor added that the dedication of the State’s leadership towards ensuring a meaningful change in the quality of the lives of the people here has been appreciated by the Centre which has lavished a hefty 62% increase in the Annual Plan outlay of the State for the year 2011-12 over the previous year.

SDF welcomes Golay’s resignation from Chairman’s posts, expects him to quit as MLA as well

GANGTOK: The ruling Sikkim Democratic Front has welcomed the resignation tendered by PS Tamang [Golay], MLA Upper Burtuk from the post of Chairman, Commerce and Industries Development Board of the Government of Sikkim. [click here for details]
The party, in a press release issued by general secretary TN Sharma, conveys that it was now expecting Mr. Tamang’s resignation from the MLA post as well, since although elected from an SDF ticket, he was now involved in anti-party activities.

Golay supporters don’t want him to quit Burtuk

GANGTOK, 23 March: A section claiming to be voters from Burtuk constituency, today countered the Sikkim Democratic Front’s call for the resignation of PS Tamang from his position as the MLA of Burtuk.
A press release signed by 54 persons, questions the locus-standii of SDF spokespersons, Bhim Dahal and PD Rai, in making such suggestions and wonders how the mandate of Burtuk people can be overlooked so easily. [click here for related news]
The release adds that the mandate was given by the people of Burtuk and not by the SDF, and alleges that the party had infact conspired to make Mr Tamang lose.

Resurgence of the Himalayan Rhododendrons

Author [in fur cap] with forest officers- P.O. Pazo, S.M. Rai, C.D. Lama and retinue of camp followers
including village headmen at camp at Hilley before going to Chiwabhanjyang. Just declared
‘Rhododendron Sanctuary’ warden- Kaloo Sherpa at right (sitting). Fr. Karma, FG Namgyal
and  FG Anna Purna Subba [behind S.M. Rai] also in the picture. [Bersey 1969]

BERSEY RHODODENDRON SANCTUARY
The closing ceremony of the International Rhododendron Festival 2010-11 begins 25 March. In an aptly timed contribution, respected forester, KC PRADHAN, shares a chapter from his well-received book, “Life & Times of a Plantsman”. The extract below recounts his visit to the West Sikkim Forest Division in 1969 and of how the idea of a Rhododenron Sanctuary at Bersey was born and how, with it, started the process which earned Sikkim’s Rhododendrons their rightful position as a wealth worth celebrating…

SOMETIME AFTER MY return from Yale, I visited the west forest division. This was in April 1969. I was accompanied by P.O. Pazo, Saharman Rai, L.B. Lama, and a host of other forest staff. We trekked from Hilley to Bersey and found the whole hillside ablaze with a pinkish to an almost white hue of Rhododendron arboretum var. campbelliae. We decided on the spot to declare the area a Rhododendron Sanctuary and got the area marked roughly with the help of natural features. Everyone accepted the need to appoint a chowkidar (caretaker). A dumb fellow - a daredevil nevertheless - accompanying us, Kalloo Sherpa, was the instant choice. He did a really good job and kept all the cow-herders under strict control.

SLET to be held in June

GANGTOK: State Eligibility Test (SLET) to select eligible candidates for appointment as lecturers in colleges and universities in Sikkim is scheduled to be held on 12 June. The examination will be conducted by the SLET Commission for N.E Region, informs a press release issued by the Principal, Sikkim Government College, MP Kharel. The application forms are available at the college and the last date for submission of filled out application forms is 19 May. 

Field Assistant posts to stay, VLWs to be made by direct appointment

GANGTOK: The post of VLWs lying vacant with the Agriculture Department will be filled through ‘direct appointment’ from among candidates having appropriate qualifications. This was informed by a senior official of the Agriculture Department.
The official was responding to the demand raised by the Department’s employees in a general meeting held on Sunday that the post of Field Assistants, created through a notification in the year 2002 by the Agriculture Department, be done away with so that the posts of VLWs lying vacant in the Department could be filled by the Fieldmen on promotion. [check here for background details]

SHRPP petitions Governor complaining against law & order situation

GANGTOK: Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad Party has submitted a petition to the Governor, Balmiki Prasad Singh, complaining over what an SHRPP press released contends to be the “deteriorating conditions of administration, law and order in Sikkim”.
The letter to the Governor highlights the recent Singling incident involving a Cabinet Minister as one which showed that “the law and order situation has reached its brink of disaster”, and that the government has “unnecessarily attributed criminal action against government employees and the innocent public”.

Two 16-year-olds lost to suicides in unrelated incidents

NAMCHI Two cases of suicide were reported Tuesday from the South District where two young persons, a boy and a girl, ended their lives in unrelated incidents.
In the first case reported from Namchi bazaar, a 16-year-old boy committed suicide by hanging himself with the help of ‘dupatta’. The deceased was a school dropout and was working as a labourer, while his father eked out a living as a street vendor. The boy committed suicide at home at around 11 a.m.
The second suicide of the day for South district was reported from Chisopani near Jorethang where a girl, also 16 year old, committed suicide by hanging at her home in Berbotey Chisopani.
Even she was a school dropout, and was reportedly in a disturbed state of mind for the past many days.

Tibetans in-exile vote in Gangtok and Ravangla to elect new Parliament

GANGTOK: Tibetans-in-exile residing in Sikkim cast their votes to elect the Kalon Tripa [Prime Minister] and members of the 15th Tibetan Parliament on 20 March, Sunday.
Voting took place in Ravangla and at the Cho-Ka-Sum, Namnang here in Gangtok.

Lesson for Education

editorial:
Primary school students at Sanganath Secondary School might find themselves housed in better classrooms before the skies open up for the monsoons. A new building cannot be erected for them in time, but they can be shifted to more respectable accommodations than the contraption of GCI sheet shack they presently take classes in [click here for background details]. Now that the news has come out in the papers, the Department will obviously do something about the situation the kids at Sanganath find themselves in. But that is obviously not enough. The news-report in question was not just about the denial heaped on the children at Sanganath, but also, equally, if not more, a report on the departmental attitude towards the well-being of the young in Sikkim. The reason behind the privations of the kids in this South Sikkim village is emblematic of the insensitivity which appears to have overcome government offices, where projects are reduced to numbers and outlays, shorn of any emotional quotient, which is baffling, because developmental works should always be driven by the urgency of people’s need, not the convenience of officers or contractors.