CM RESUMES VILLAGE-TO-VILLAGE TOUR

Now, students to evaluate teachers

GYALSHING, 27 June: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling resumed his Sikkim Bhraman travelling through Gyalshing-Bermiok and Yangthang constituencies today. This is the 21st day of his village-to-village tour, projected to take 40 days to complete.
Through the day today, the CM interacted with the people and students at Legship Secondary School, Sakyong Secondary School, Langang JHS and holding his final meeting at the Gyalshing community centre. During his interactions with the people, he reiterated that his tour was an initiative towards delivering “direct democracy” to the people, bringing the government to their doorsteps. The CM is accompanied on his tour by Ministers and Heads of Departments.

The CM mentioned that he has been touring the state during Monsoons, when most people prefer not to travel, so that he saw the real condition of roads and feel the problems faced by the people.
Given that the day’s meetings were mostly organised in school campuses and a strong attendance of students in the audience, the theme of his addresses today was on quality education.
“We have planned evaluation of teachers by student on the monthly basis,” he informed. While teachers do not have a danger of ‘failing’, those endorsed by their students as the best working and performing will be awarded and receive increments, he said.
The CM explained that this process is projected to bring about competitiveness among the teachers and inspire them to work hard and continue learning themselves to impart the part the best education to students.
He stressed that through this initiative, the government wants to recognise and felicitate teachers who have been working hard towards making Sikkim.
Expressing his dissatisfaction over the poor quality of computers being supplied to schools, he directed the concerned department to initiate a departmental enquiry on the supplier and ensure that all materials supplied to schools were of good quality.
He also called upon the school heads never to compromise on quality. “Until and unless everyone is made responsible and answerable such discrepancies will occur,” he highlighted.
The CM urged the students to remain focused in their studies and lead disciplined lives so that that they grew up into responsible and successful citizens. Detailing the various schemes now in place to support and assist students in pursuing their dreams, he urged students to explore the opportunities now available for them and make the best use of them.
The CM also announced that the Gyalshing Degree College will be inaugurated on Tuesday. 
He also pointed out that during his direct interactions with the people, he has learnt that middlemen and anti-people elements were involved in a nexus which was denying people their benefits and suppressing their rights.
The CM encouraged the people to identify such elements, highlighting that even as this section was suppressing the people, it was also destroying the image of the state. “Such people and their plans can be combated only if the people measure up to the call of the government to stand up against injustice of all forms,” he said.
On the people’s demand to shift the district administration centre from Tikjuk to Gyalshing, the CM said that even he plans to shift the DAC and Pelling Senior Secondary School to Gyalshing and promote Pelling purely for commercial development as a tourism hub.
He added that doing so would ensure planned and focussed development of both areas.
He invited the people to understand the proposal and then agree on a unanimous decision. If the people agree, this project can be taken up in the 12th Five Year Plan which will be starting next year, he informed.
The CM further announced that the tender for the carpeting of more than 120 km of roads in West district will be floated next month and the work projected to start next year.
He further informed that in the process of power decentralization, the government will build VLW, VLO and Stockman Centre in need basis in the required villages around the state.
He also informed that there are 2000 vacant posts in Sikkim Police which will be filled over the next 2 years and encouraged the youths to prepare themselves for the posts.
The CM further announced that the government will henceforth hold examinations for Under Secretaries and DSP’s every year.
He also declared that MR employees attaining the age of 58 years shall be given one and a half year’s wages as a monetary benefit if they wish to retire.
At Langang Junior High School, the CM and the gathering observed a two-minute silence in the memory of the 16 lives lost to landslides last week in the area. He directed the concerned department to work out a permanent solution for landslides so that no more lives are lost to it in future.