CM invites frank appraisals, wants people to point out weaknesses

CHIEF MINISTER’S SIKKIM BHRAMAN COVERS 100 KM ON DAY-3
NAMCHI, 19 May [IPR]: The third day of the Chief Minister’s marathon village-to-village tour started with Mikhola, a tiny hamlet below Namchi Bazaar, today where he was accorded a huge reception by the people.
“We have come to learn from you where our weakness lie,” the CM explained, adding, “In spite of having all the required facilities and infrastructure, why is there still poverty among our people.” The Chief Minister is being accompanied on his 36-day Sikkim-Bhraman by his Cabinet colleagues, MLAs and heads of departments led by the Additional Chief Secretary.
The next visit was to Sorok Syampani, from where the entourage headed towards Kitam.
Over the day, the Chief Minister visited Mikkhola, Kitam, Melli, Melli-Sadam, Turuk, Sadam, Maniram-Bhanjhyang and Fungdara, covering more than 100 kms and interacting and addressing the people at more than six places.

At Melli Bazaar, the Chief Minister enquired after the beautification work underway there and inspected work on the Central Square Hard Court being undertaken at a project cost of Rs. 50,00,000 by Melli-Dara Paiyong Co-operative Society.
He also ensured that the construction of a Vegetable Packaging House at Melli is completed within three months.
At Melli Dara GPU, the Chief Minister also inaugurated the CM Pradhan Auditorium near the Gram Prashasan Kendra. The Chief Minister also visited the Melli Dara GPU which is one of the best GPU’s in the country and interacted with the people in a Public Court (Janta Durbar).
The CM gave a patient hearing to the demands and grievances raised. In his address later, the CM said that he will try to ensure that such village-to-village visits are given continuity. Talking about the various programmes and schemes of the government the Chief Minister stressed on capacity-building initiatives as offering sustainable development options and delivering self-sufficiency.
The government has tried its level best with utmost dedication and hardwork for the economic upliftment but now the people have to respond positively, he said. Besides many other demands which he sanctioned in-principle, the Chief Minister assured to upgrade the existing power station of Melli Dara. The people of the GPU had demanded for the upgradation of the power station to ensure uninterrupted power supply for the poultry industry which the entire village has adopted and is one of the main sources of income of the area now.
Highlighting the incentives and schemes available for agriculture and allied industries the Chief Minister detailed the price support for agriculture and allied products, establishment of Kishan Bazaar, establishment of Co-operative Apex Bank to facilitate the farmers.
At Melli Dara GPU, the Chief Minister was very impressed with the ward maps of the Gram Panchayat in which kutcha houses, infrastructure details, demographic details etc. were clearly depicted. He was also briefed on the annual transaction of milk export under dairy farming which has reached Rs. 86,40,000. The President of the GPU informed the CM of the progress made by poultry growers of the Gram Panchayat and informed that the annual transaction of poultry has crossed Rs. 4 crores. The Chief Minister informed the people of the mission of cooperative societies and urged the cooperative societies of the GPU to work dedicatedly and congratulated them for having procured work worth Rs. 10,56,72,806.
He announced to formulate rules to allot works valued up to Rs. 1 crore to cooperative societies without calling tenders.
He was very happy to learn that the public were very grateful for all the schemes targeted towards the masses. He appreciated the 22-Melli Dara Gram Panchayat Unit for its numerous initiatives and iterated that if all the Gram Panchayats and the government servants of Sikkim work dedicatedly in their respective fields, then Sikkim can become the Switzerland of the East.
He expressed his belief in Gram Panchayats and said that state’s mission can be easily achieved if all the Gram Panchayats work efficiently and selflessly.