Sikkim too Unites with a Sankalp

NATIONAL UNITY DAY AND RASHTRIYA SANKALP DIWAS IN A COMBINED OBSERVANCE IN SIKKIM

GANGTOK, 31 Oct [IPR]: Along with the rest of the nation, Sikkim observed National Unity Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Rastriya Sankalpa Diwas to mark the death anniversary of the late Prime Minister of India Mrs. Indira Gandhi in a combined function here at the Manan Kendra on 31 October 2014.

Chief Secretary R. Ongmu administered the Pledge of Unity to the officers and staff of various departments within the Secretariat premises assembled in Manan Kendra to commemorate Sardar Patel’s 139th birth anniversary.

Earlier, Secretary Protocol, Home Department SK Pradhan read out quotes by Mrs. Gandhi and passages from her last speech [which she had delivered a day before her assassination].

The function, organized by Home Department, also saw the presentation of two patriotic songs by Cultural Affairs & Heritage Department. The programme was also attended by the Additional Chief Secretary SC Gupta and senior Secretaries of the Government amongst others.

Similarly the day was also observed in all the Government offices of the State capital, districts, and sub-divisions of the State.

To mark the event, students from various schools participated in a rally holding placards with messages on unity and brotherhood. The rally took off at Guards Ground and culminated at Titanic Park, Gangtok.

The Persecution of the Rohingya

Editorial published in The New York Times

The government of Myanmar has created a plan to expel the country’s persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority. Under the proposal, all Rohingya who refuse to identify themselves as “Bengalis” (a term used for illegal migrants from Bangladesh) and do not have documentation acceptable to the government will be detained in camps before being driven out of the country. Incredibly, the government appealed to the United Nations last month for assistance with this project. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, not surprisingly, refused to help relocate people being interned by their own government.

Some 140,000 of the estimated 1.1 million Rohingya in Myanmar are already living in internment camps, forced to flee their homes by anti-Muslim rampages incited by the radical Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu and his extremist group 969. The conditions in the camps are appalling. In addition to malnutrition, a lack of medical care, employment and education, the Rohingya face beatings and torture by local authorities. More than 100,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar by boat for Malaysia and Thailand. Thousands more have fled overland.

This is only the latest form of persecution. Under a 1982 law, Myanmar denied citizenship to the Rohingya, and last November it rejected a United Nations resolution calling for it to grant them citizenship. Instead, the government of President Thein Sein came up with the new proposal, which falsely holds out the possibility of citizenship at some future time, but only if the Rohingya agree to reclassification as Bengalis and have the required documents, which thousands of displaced people simply don’t have. The plan would result in the enforced segregation and expulsion of a people based on their ethnic and religious identity.

Myanmar is expected to received $5 billion this fiscal year in foreign investments, thanks to the easing of economic sanctions by the United States and Europe on the promise of continued democratic and human-rights reforms. The United States and other governments must make it clear that Myanmar will face consequences if it continues to abuse the Rohingya.

Sikkim this week

Anil Yadav enters record books with 14 PG degrees!
Anil Kumar Yadav of Gangtok, currently posted here as Deputy GM, Reserve Bank of India, is now, officially, the most diversely educated person in the country. He possesses 14 Post Graduate degrees [and counting] from nine different universities, all earned between 1995 and 2014, a feat which has earned him entry in the India Book of Records for the most post graduate degree honoured by different universities.

Sangha MLA condoles passing away of Prince JT Namgyal
GANGTOK: Kushyo JT Namgyal, the youngest son of the late Chogyal Sir Tashi Namgyal, passed away here on Thursday, 30 October. Sangha MLA, Sonam Lama, in a condolence message issued on Thursday evening, has remembered the Lat JT Namgyal as a “unique personality” marked by his shy nature and who shall be “remembered and loved by his Sikkimese people as the youngest son of His Majesty, the 11th Miwang Denjong Chogyal Sir Tashi Namgyal”. The MLA has conveyed his condolences to the royal family.

24 undergo training in basic welding 
GANGTOK: A six-week long workshop-based “Modular Entrepreneurship & Skill Development Programme on Basic Welding” was organized by MSME Development Institute, Gangtok at  Bardang here in East Sikkim. The programme was organized in association with the Advanced Technical Training Centre, Bardang, for 24 participants. The training was held from 15 Sept to 29 Oct. The course material was provided by MSME-DI and the technical training addressed by the faculty at ATTC. The basics of arc welding, gas welding, TIG and MIG welding and crafting of small iron products like benches, tables etc. were covered in the training, a communiqué from the Press Information Bureau informs.

Stress & Time Management training for govt officers
GANGTOK: A three-day training on “Stress and Time Management” for school heads, police and other government officials concluded here on 30 Oct here at the Accounts and Administrative Training Institute (AATI). Addressing the valedictory function, Commissioner-cum-Secretary to the Raj Bhawan, R. Thelang, advised trainees to take more keenly to meditation, learning new things, practicing techniques and changing oneself, an IPR press release informs. Dr. Deepika Tiwari, Associate Professor SMIT and Dr. A. Jha, HoD, SMIT, were present as resource persons for the training.

Sikkim Boys spend day in service of Sikkim elders

fotoCaption: Sikkim Boys’ at the Ishwaramba Old Age Home.
The club has also expressed gratitude towards Chief Minister Pawan Chamling for his constant support to the club and its management since its formation.  Seen here, the CM being presented his Sikkim Boys T-Shirt during the Governor’s Gold Cup

GANGTOK, 31 Oct: Sikkim Boys’, the youngest [barely a few months old] football club in Sikkim, has included socially responsive engagement as part of its ethos and expressed it recently by spending an entire day [on Thursday] with the inmates and officials at Ishwaramba Old Age Home at Jalipool in East Sikkim.
A 13-member team of Sikkim Boys’ reached the Old Age Home at around 11 AM on 30 October and got to work immediately, preparing tea and laying out snacks for the residents of the home. The treat was tabled at 12:30 PM, immediately after which the footballers were back in the kitchen, rustling up dinner which they served at around 6:30 in the evening.
In between, the club’s players and officials interacted with the inmates, extending companionship and keeping up conversations.
“The time spent with the elders at the Old Age Home was the best and emotionally powerful for the Sikkim Boys’. They welcomed us warmly and opened their hearts to us,” shares Sikkim Boys’ manager, Shishil Karthak, while talking about the visit.
He added that the main objective of the visit was to spend a whole day with the elderly at the Old Age Home by serving them for one day to bring happiness on their face. “This initiative gave us real happiness and satisfaction and we would really want to continue such initiatives in the future,” he added.
Mr. Karthak states, “It was really moving when they shared their feelings with the Sikkim Boys’ team. We gave them a patient hearing and a shoulder to lean on and they were really happy with the time we shares with them.”
Sikkim Boys’ was started by a few likeminded senior footballers of the state and made its debut in the state-level Independence Day Football Tournament in August this year. Being unbeaten in the tournament, Sikkim Boys’ emerged the champions and qualified for the prestigious Governor’s Gold Cup Football Tournament this year. The Sikkim Boys’ team is made up of young footballers supported by a few experienced senior footballers. In the Governor’s Gold Cup, Sikkim Boys’ started with a big win of 07-02 against Sikkim Youth XI. Then they outplayed Aryan’s Club, Kolkata and knocked out the defending champions Three Stars of Nepal in the quarter-final round. In the semifinals, Sikkim Boys’ lost to Manang Marshyangdi Club of Nepal in extra-time.
“We did not reach the finals of the prestigious Governor’s Gold Cup but we are very happy and satisfied that we provided a platform for young talented footballers in such a big tournament,” Mr Karthak states.
In the Governor’s Gold Cup, young and talented winger of Sikkim Boys’, Sukraj Subba also received the Man of the Tournament trophy. Meanwhile, a few young footballers in the Sikkim Boys’ squad have been receiving enquiries from good teams of the country.

Prices to be fixed

MONITORING COMMITTEES CONSTITUTED TO REGULATE PRICES OF ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES, VEGETABLES AND OTHER CONSUMABLES

Unregulated fluctuation in prices of eatables in sweetshops and restaurants has now become a constant complaint among consumers in the capital. Prices of items vary from shop-to-shop and appear unattached to any rules or oversight. Most people believe that prices, since no one is forcing people to buy items if they find the price too high, cannot be regulated and some even feel that interference in market prices [for goods and items which are not “essential”] would be an undesirable practice. But it appears that when it comes to pricing of such items, there are rules for monitoring and control.

A kilogram of sweets that cost Rs. 350 on one day, could, especially in the recent Diwali rush, could jump to around Rs. 400 the next day. With no regulatory authority at present to monitor the prices, a plate of chicken momo, that cost just Rs. 60 earlier this year is now plating in the Rs. 100 to Rs. 120 range. Even the humble Samosa, already rather expensive at Rs. 10 has moved on to some more rupees at some places.

As mentioned, with no regulatory body in place to check such prices, unlike earlier when sweet-shops had to mandatorily put up price display boards, the Legal Metrology Unit and Consumer Protection unit of the Food & Civil Supplies Department, through a Gazette Notification issued on 24 October, has stepped up in favour of consumers and set up state and a district level committees for monitoring and regulation of prices of essential commodities, vegetables and other consumables in Sikkim.

The State Level committee which shall provide major policy initiatives, guidelines for regulation and movement of essential commodities, vegetables and other consumables and regularly monitor its activities to mitigate the problems of consumers in the State. The committee will be headed by the Minister, Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, as the Chairperson while the Gangtok Mayor and Secretaries of UD&HD, State Transport Authority, Buildings & Housing Department, and Animal Husbandry Department will be members of the committee. The committee will have the Secretary, FCS&CAD as the Member Secretary.

The state level Monitoring and Regulatory Committee will take all decisions regarding regulation activities related to mobilization, control of prices if essential commodities that are consumable in the state. The state level committee shall monitor and coordinate with the line departments and agencies on its progress, examine and evaluate the performance of the District Level Committee and all such related activities “as deemed fit in larger public interest”.

Further, the Committee shall recommend regulatory framework to the line departments, agencies and District Level Committee related to the matter.  

“The committee members have already held meetings to deliberate and decide on the implementation under the framework of the notification. We have already held preliminary meetings and many members have submitted their recommendations to the committee,” states Gangtok Deputy Mayor, Shakti Singh.

He further informs that the notification in itself will be a boon for the consumers in the state since instances of over-charging have been reported from all over Gangtok. “There are some restaurants selling tea from vending machines and pricing them at Rs. 30 when vending tea just costs a nominal Rs. 10 at most. We have to look into such discrepancies as establishments are pricing items on their whims and fancies,” states the Deputy Mayor.

He also adds that quantity and size could be the main criteria for fixing rates on consumable items since the central government has also notified items like potatoes as essential commodities now.

“Business establishments make a hue and cry when GMC raises the license fees by just a few rupees so when they raise prices indiscriminately they there should be no resentment towards the government if regulation comes in,” he adds.

Similarly, the District Level committee constituted for the purpose in east, West, North and South Sikkim located at the District Headquarters, Gangtok, Gyalshing, Mangan and Namchi respectively shall be responsible for implementation of the policies and decisions taken by the State Level committee and submit reports to the Chairman and Member Secretary on all such activities undertaken by the respective District level Committees which shall have the respective District Collectors as the chairpersons.

The respective SPs, Divisional Engineers, Building and Housing Department, Deputy Director, AH&VS, Bazaar Officer, UD&HD, RTO, Transport Department, Assistant Controller, Legal Metrology, FCS&CA department will be the members of the District Level Committee while the respective District Civil Supplies Officers, FCS&CA shall be the Member Secretary.

The district level committees will supervise all such activities relating to regulation and management of prices of essential commodities and other consumables in the district. The committee shall prepare a systematic concept and working plan for implementing the direction from time to time to meet the exigencies as per law established  and mobilize the resource for mitigating problems related to the subject. Further, the committee shall endeavor to make similar such bodies at sub- divisional, block and gram panchayat level in the respective districts and monitor, evaluate their performances at regular interval of time. The committee shall submit a detailed report on the status and arrangement made to the state level committee on monthly basis and daily during crisis or as may be directed by the state level committee.

It may also be informed that the Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department shall be the Nodal Department and all official action on Price Regulation shall be governed by Law in operation through agencies delegated by the authority in the state.      

Petrol price cut by Rs. 2.41, diesel by Rs. 2.25/ litre

New Delhi, 31 Oct:  Public sector oil marketing companies announced a cut in the retail selling price of petrol by Rs. 2.41 a litre and diesel by Rs.2.25 a litre in Delhi. The decrease includes state levies and will vary from state to state.
The price cut will be effective from midnight October 31/November 1 following which diesel will be sold at Rs. 53.35 a litre in Delhi and petrol will be sold at Rs.64.24 a litre.
“The international prices of both petrol and diesel have continued to be on a downtrend. The INR-USD exchange rate has appreciated slightly since the last price change and the combined impact of both these factors warrant a decrease in retail selling prices of petrol and diesel,” said Indian Oil in a statement.
The Rs 2.41 a litre price cut in petrol and Rs 2.25 in diesel was after accounting for a 10-15 paise increase in commission paid to petrol pump dealers. The reduction should have been higher by 10-15 paise if the dealer commission had not been increased.
Petrol will cost Rs 64.25 a litre in Delhi from tomorrow as against Rs 66.65 currently. In Mumbai, the rate will be cut by Rs 2.55 a litre to Rs 71.91.
Since August, petrol price has been cumulatively cut by Rs 9.36 a litre.
Prices vary from state to state because of differential rate of local sales tax or VAT.
Diesel rates have been cut for the second time this month. The nation’s most consumed fuel will now cost Rs 53.35 a litre in Delhi from tomorrow compared to Rs 55.60 a litre at present.
In Mumbai, diesel price has been reduced by Rs 2.50 to Rs 61.04.
The government had on October 18 freed diesel prices from its control, giving freedom to oil marketing companies to adjust rates in line with cost. On that day, rates were cut by Rs 3.37 a litre, the first reduction in price of diesel in over five years. The previous decline dates back to January 2009.
Simultaneously, the price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG) was cut by Rs 18.5 to Rs 865 per 14.2-kg cylinder.
Since August, this is the fourth reduction in rate of non-subsidised LPG which consumers buy after exhausting their quota of sub-market priced domestic cooking gas.
Non-subsidised LPG in Delhi was priced at Rs 922.50 in July and rates have in every subsequent month been reduced.
The only exception being October 23 when prices went up by a marginal Rs 3 a cylinder following government raising the commission paid to LPG dealers/distributors.

Expelled and disqualified panchayats might still remain in office

15 PANCHAYATS FROM RANGANG-YANGANG CHALLENGE THEIR REMOVAL FROM OFFICE, GOVT APPEARS TO BE RECONSIDERING MOVE

The State government appears set to withdraw the notifications disqualifying 14 Gram panchayats and one Zilla panchayat of Rangyang Yangang constituency who were removed from their posts after they were expelled from the Sikkim Democratic Front. The 15, it may be recalled, were expelled from the SDF for their alleged anti-party activities in backing the candidature of independent candidate RN Chamling who went on to win the bye-elections.

The 15, of whom, it now transpires, four won the panchayat elections as independents, were disqualified by the Secretary, Rural Management and Development Department, through a Gazette Notification quoting sub-section 4 of Section 29 of the Sikkim Panchayat Act, 1993 and subsequent amendment Act of 2010 on 19 September 2014.

The Panchayat members have challenged their removal in the High Court of Sikkim alleging that the concerned authority has not followed prescribed procedures and that the amendment dealing with removal itself was vague.

The plea has found some traction with High Court which has stayed their dismissals.

Acting Chief Justice Sushil Kumar Sinha, while passing the Stay Order, states that “… the effect and operation of the impugned order dated 19.09.2014 (Annexure P-1) and the impugned Circular dated 27.09.2014 (Annexure P-2) vis-à-vis petitioners shall remain stayed till the next date of hearing.”

As per the Section sub-section 4 of Section 29 of the Sikkim Panchayat Act, 1993 and subsequent amendment Act of 2010, the concerned authority is required to give adequate opportunity to the Panchayats to argue their defence while in the present case they were not even issued show-cause notices.

Meanwhile, the indication that the State Government was planning to withdraw the notification dismissing the 15 panchayat members in question came up during the last hearing of the case on 27 October.

During the hearing, the Additional Advocate General informed the Court that the Government may withdraw the impugned notification. The High Court has granted four weeks time to respond on the writ filed by the expelled panchayats and Zilla Panchayat.

Two separate writs were filed in the High Court [separately by the Independent Panchayats and the expelled SDF party panchayats] challenging the action of the Rural Management & Development Department, essentially the office of the Panchayat Director, which has been accused of not having followed proper procedures.

In the writ petition challenging the RM&DD Notification, four of the 15 dismissed panchayats, argue that they were shocked by the ruling party’s announcement that it had expelled them since they had been elected to office as Independents and hence there was no question of them being involved in “anti-party” activities as accused since they did not belong to any party.

The other 11 panchayats, those belonging to SDF, in their challenge to the government action in removing them, argue that the basis for the action taken against them was not enough as per the Act in question and also raise the Secretary RM&DD’s failure in first issuing them a show cause notice.  

Organic, by Law

STATE GOVT MAKES IT OFFICIAL – UNAUTHORIZED IMPORT OR USE OF CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES IS NOW A CRIMINAL OFFENCE IN SIKKIM

VISHNU NEOPANEY
The Sikkim Agricultural, Horticultural Input and Livestock Feed Regulatory Ordinance, 2014 came into operation from 21 October onwards following its promulgation by the Governor. The Ordinance seeks to give shape to a law for further promotion and regulation of procedures to achieve Organic State recognition for Sikkim in keeping with its projected deadline of December 2015. Mission Organic Sikkim, it may be mentioned here, was essentially a voluntary undertaking of farmers here with the State Government extending support and training. With the promulgation of the new Ordinance, it has now become illegal to import, sell or use chemical fertilizers or pesticides in farming or livestock management in Sikkim without prior permission of the State authorities. The pursuit of Organic Sikkim is now a legally binding.
Principal Director-Cum-Secretary, Horticulture Department, Khorlo Bhutia, who is also Mission In-charge of Sikkim Organic Mission, when contacted to explain the urgency that necessitated the promulgation of an Ordinance on the issue instead of waiting till the Winter Session of the Assembly to pass an Act, informed that the move provides more lead time for the agency to pursue the Sikkim Organic Mission with renewed vigour and clear direction and now, also legally binding mandate.
A law to this extent was required as a final push for the final year of Sikkim’s process of becoming fully Organic, the officer highlighted.
As for the Ordinance, it puts on record that, “the Governor is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it necessary for him to take immediate action”.
Meanwhile, what cannot be ignored is the politics that has attached itself to the Sikkim Organic Mission with the Opposition SKM and the State Government trading allegations on it for a while now. There is also the question of image since Organic Sikkim has attracted much attention at the national and international level, starting with featuring in the popular television series Satyamev Jayate and now with Prime Minister Narendra Modi singing its praises at forums as diverse as his address in Parliament to his speech in Nepal. Sikkim had announced its pursuit of Organic State status in the year 2003, undertaken it as a mission statement in 2009. Now, with so much limelight focused on it, the pressure has increased on the State and its authorities to deliver.
And hence an Ordinance banning chemical fertilizers and pesticides even though the Winter Session of the Assembly is not more than a month away. A binding process is underway to regulate the import, sale, distribution and use of inorganic agricultural and horticultural inputs and livestock feed, on record “to prevent risk to human beings or animals and environment and to make the State of Sikkim an Organic State and for matters connected organic farming”.
Now that the Ordinance has came into force, the Department has begun the process of framing the attendant rules which are expected to be notified next week.
Mr. Bhutia informs that once the rules have been notified, growers will not be able to use chemical fertilizers or such inorganic inputs for cultivation of crops.  Only organic seeds and plant materials shall be permitted, he underlines. Only Organic inputs such as farmyard manure, compost, vermi-compost, green manures, bio-fertilizers, etc will be permitted for use for soil nutrient management and bio pesticides for management of insect pests and diseases.
The Ordinance also sets more stringent guidelines and specifications. For instance, while it directs that organic seed and plant materials be used for cultivation, it also allows relaxations when certified organic seed and plant materials are not available. Chemically untreated conventional materials can be used with the permission of the State Government, the Ordinance allows. It is however strict in prohibiting the use of genetically engineered seeds, pollen, trans-gene plants or plant material is prohibited for cultivation.
Organic Sikkim is clearly not just about farming and livestock is an important constituent as well. The Ordinance takes care of this aspect as well with a ban on synthetic and chemically treated feeds. A welcome ban has been extended to livestock feed containing Atrazine, Arsenic based compounds and all forms of Animal Protein including chicken litter from use in Poultry and Cattle Farming. The following products can no longer be added to the feed given to farm animals in Sikkim: synthetic growth stimulants; synthetic appetizers; artificial colouring agents; farm animals by products; pure amino acids; and genetically engineered organisms or products thereof.
The Ordinance, on implementation, will also help in protection of habitat of the hill state as recorded in Sub-section a & b of Section 7 of the Ordinance which states that “…any inorganic Agricultural, Horticultural Inputs, Livestock Feed which is for the time being prohibited and restricted for the protection and preservation of any area defined as a Habitat; and any inorganic Agricultural, Horticultural Inputs, Livestock Feed in contravention of any other provision of this Ordinance or of any rule made there under.”
Violation of the provisions of the Ordinance and its Rules will attract imprisonment extending up to three months and/or fine of at least Rs. 25,000 [but not exceeding Rs 1,00,000]. The provision for offences and punishment in the Ordinance further state that “…if any person who has been convicted of the commission of an offence punishable under this Ordinance shall be punished for the second and every subsequent offence with a fine which may extend to twice the amount imposed on him in his previous conviction.”
Violations are however not cognizable offences and prosecution shall be instituted only by official/ officials authorised to do so by general or special order issued by the State Government. All offences under this Ordinance or rules will be triable in the Court of Judicial Magistrate.
Products for Use in Fertilizing and Soil Conditioning
Matter Produced on an Organic Farm Unit
• Farmyard and poultry manure, slurry, urine Permitted
• Crop residues and green manure Permitted
• Straw and other mulches Permitted
Matter Produced Outside the Organic Farm Unit
• Blood meal, meat meal, bone meal and feather meal without Preservatives Restricted
• Compost made from any carbon based residues (Animal excrement including poultry) Restricted
• Farmyard manure, slurry, urine Restricted
      (“factory” farming sources Prohibited)
• Fish and fish products without preservatives Restricted
• Guano Restricted
• Human excrement   Prohibited
• By-products from the food and textile industries of biodegradable material of microbial, plant or animal origin without any synthetic additives. Restricted
• Peat without synthetic additives (prohibited for soil conditioning)   Permitted
• Sawdust, wood shavings, wood provided it comes from untreated wood Permitted

• Seaweed and seaweed products obtained by physical processes, extraction with water or aqueous acid and/or alkaline solution Restricted

• Sewage sludge and urban composts from separated sources which are monitored for contamination Restricted

• Straw Restricted
• Vermicasts Restricted
• Animal charcoal Restricted
• Compost and spent mushroom and vermiculate substances Restricted
• Compost from organic household reference Restricted
• Compost from plant residues Restricted





• By products from oil palm, coconut and cocoa (including empty fruit bunch, palm oil mill effluent (pome), cocoa peat and empty cocoa pods) Restricted
• By products of industries processing ingredients from organic agriculture Restricted
Minerals
• Basic slag Restricted
• Calcareous and magnesium rock Restricted
• Calcified seaweed Permitted
• Calcium chloride Permitted
• Calcium carbonate of network origin (chalk, limestone, gypsum and phosphate chalk) Permitted
• Mineral potassium with low chlorine content (e.g. sulphate of potash, kainite, sylvinite, patenkali) Restricted
• Natural phosphates (e.g. Rock phosphates) Restricted
• Pulverized rock Restricted
• Sodium chloride Permitted
• Trace elements  (baron, In, Fe, Mn, Molybdenum, Zn) Restricted
• Woo dash from untreated wood Restricted
• Potassium sulphate Restricted
• Magnesium sulphate (Epson salt) Permitted
• Gypsum (calcium sulphate) Permitted
• Stillage and stillage extract Permitted
• Aluminum calcium phosphate Restricted
• Sulphur Restricted
• Stone mill Restricted
• Clay (bentonite, perlite, zeolite) Permitted
Microbiological Preparations
• Bacterial preparations (biofertilizers) Permitted
• Biodynamic preparations Permitted
• Plant preparations and botanical extracts Permitted
• Vermiculate Permitted
• Peat Permitted

Products for Plant Pest and Disease Control
I. Substances from plant and animal origin
• Azadirachta indica [neem preparations (neem oil)] Restricted
• Preparation of rotenone from Derris elliptica Restricted
• Lonchocarpus, Thephrosia spp. Restricted
• Gelatin Permitted
• Propolis Restricted
• Plant based extracts (e.g. neem, garlic, pongamia, etc.)   Permitted
• Preparation on basis of pyrethrins extracted from Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium, containing possibly a synergist pyrethrum cinerafolium Restricted

• Preparation from Quassia amara Restricted
• Release of parasite predators of insect pests Restricted
• Preparation from Ryania species Restricted
• Tobacco tea Prohibited
• Lecithin Restricted
• Casein Permitted
• Sea weeds, sea weed meal, sea weed extracts, sea salt and salty water Restricted

• Extract from mushroom (Shiitake fungus)   Permitted
• Extract from Chlorella   Permitted
• Fermented product from Aspergillus Restricted
• Natural acids (vinegar) Restricted
II. Minerals
• Chloride of lime/soda Restricted
• Clay (e.g. bentonite, perlite, vermiculite, zeolite) Permitted
• Copper salts / inorganic salts (Bordeaux mix, copper hydroxide, copper oxychloride)used as a fungicide, maximum 8 kg per ha per year depending upon the crop and under the supervision of inspection and certification agency Restricted

• Mineral powders (stone meal, silicates) Prohibited
• Diatomaceous earth Restricted
• Light mineral oils Restricted
• Permanganate of potash Restricted
• Lime sulphur (calcium polysulphide Restricted
• Silicates (sodium silicate, quartz) Restricted
• Sodium bicarbonate Permitted






• Sulphur (as a fungicide, acaricide, repellent) Restricted
III. Microorganisms / Biocontrol agents
• Viral preparations (e.g., Granulosis viruses, Nuclear polyhydrosis, viruses etc.). Permitted
• Fungal preparations (e.g., Trichoderma species etc.) Permitted
• Bacterial preparations  (e.g., Bacillus species etc.) Permitted
• Parasites, predators and sterilized insects.” Permitted
IV. Others
• Carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas Restricted
• Soft soap (potassium soap) Permitted
• Ethyl alcohol Prohibited
• Homeopathic and Ayurvedic preparations   Permitted
• Herbal and biodynamic preparations Permitted
Traps
• Physical methods (e.g., chromatic traps, mechanical traps, light traps, sticky traps and pheromones) Permitted

• Mulches, nets Permitted


List of Approved Feed Materials, Feed Additives and Processing Aids for Animal Nutrition
1. Feed Materials of Plant Origin
• Cereals grains, their products and by - products
• Oilseeds, oil fruits, their products and by – products
• Legume seed, their products and by - products
• Tuber roots, their products and by – products
• Other seeds and fruits
• Forages and roughages
• Molasses as a binding agent

2. Feed Material of Mineral Origin
• Seasalt, rocksalt Restricted
• Sodium sulphate Restricted
• Sodium carbonate Restricted
• Sodium bicarbonate Restricted
• Sodium chloride Restricted
• Calcium carbonate Restricted
• Calcium lactate Restricted
• Calcium gluconate Restricted
• Bone dicalcium phosphate precipitate Restricted
• De fluorinated dicalcium phosphate Restricted
• Anhydrousmagnesia Restricted
• Magnesium sulphate Restricted
• Magnesium chloride Restricted
• Magnesium carbonate Restricted

3. Trace Elements
• Iron Feed additives
• Iodine Feed additives
• Cobalt Feed additives
• Manganese Feed additives
• Zinc Feed additives
• Molydenum Feed additives
• Selenium Feed additives

4. Vitamins     Restricted

5. Enzymes Restricted

6. Micro-organisms Restricted

BRO to span 9 Mile with long bridge

Project Swastik, the Border Roads Organisation agency responsible for the national highway and other strategically important roads of the State, has submitted a detailed report with the High Court of Sikkim on its proposal to span the 9 Mile troublespot [on NH 10 here near Ranipool] with a “Long Span Bridge” to be commissioned under the SARDP-NE project. The 9th Mile sinking zone has remained an unresolved nuisance on the highway, and forms part of the public interest litigation currently being heard by the High Court on the condition of roads in Sikkim.
The long span bridge option is a new proposal for this spot for which a two-kilomtre diversion was being considered earlier.
Director [Works], Project Swastik, VK Singh, has now come up with a new proposal of constructing a long span bridge across the sinking zone for which the Ministry of Defense and Road Surface will examine the DPR and accordingly approve.
The response from Project Swastik came about after the High Court pulled up the DG, BRO and Project Swastik for their continuing delay in implementing a more durable solution for the 9th Mile troublespot.
“It has also been indicated that there would be requirement of hydro mapping the area and also a detailed study for exploring the presence of hard strata below the flowing earth (sinking),” the Court has observed and directed that this process be completed within four weeks.
Senior Counsel Karma Thinlay appearing on behalf of the respondents [Project Swastik and DG, BRO] submitted that the aforesaid studies are required to be conducted by an expert agency for which necessary permission would be required.
The officers of Project Swastik have initiated the process seeking approval in principle for engagement of an expert agency to expedite the above studies, Mr. Thinlay submitted, adding that concurrence of the central body is still awaited [hence the 4 week time].
Tashi R. Barphungpa, Amicus Curiae on the PIL, objected on the submission made by the Standing Counsel of Central Government for granting four weeks time to get concurrence. He also requested the High Court to consider the urgency of the matter and direct quicker concurrence.
The Division Bench, after considering pleadings of both the counsels and the facts and circumstances of the case, granted four weeks time to resolve the issue.
The court has also observed that “…we hope and trust that the Central Body would take up the matter urgently and would resolve it at an early date.”

Media and Ebola

Intro: What is really going on behind the veiled headlines of the global coverage of Ebola? How many of the ‘right questions’ have the media missed, asks ERIC CHINJE of the African Media Initiative

My colleagues at the African Media Initiative (AMI) and I have been debating the effectiveness of reports on the Ebola crisis. Has media played the role it should in helping society combat the disease? We reached an easy consensus: Coverage of the crisis has brought to the fore some of the fundamental challenges facing media in Africa and, possibly, around the world.

News editors everywhere never fail to remind their young reporters: Good journalism is about seeking answers to all the right questions, looking at all sides of the story. Ebola is one of the big stories of our times, and it is certainly appropriate to question how effectively African and global media have told this important story. Have reporters and editors asked the right questions?

The question of the unseen millions! Reports on Ebola are replete with images of death and the violence of the disease, giving media consumers a real life equivalent of a Hollywood horror movie of alien invaders. What about the living millions who stand at the front lines of that battle? How are they surviving this viral onslaught? Are children going to school, and do they head for the playground when the bell rings? Are farmers on the farm, and is produce available in market stalls? Are taxicabs still a regular presence on street corners in Freetown, and do people take them in the same way they always did? What is really going on behind the veiled headlines of the global coverage of Ebola?

Social etiquette in the Ebola-effected countries, as in most parts of Africa and beyond, recognize hugging, handshakes, high fives, physical contact of sorts, as the simplest forms of expression of affection and friendship. Should coping mechanisms be part of the story? Do mothers in Liberia still kiss their babies good night at bedtime? Has the ritual of co-workers greeting one another in the morning been reduced to a head nod? How do the police effect arrests and prison wardens contain their prisoners, especially the recently arrived ones? Do we, the audience of the unfolding crisis, have a right to see beyond the frightening body count?

“Ebola is emblematic of much larger problems of governance, leadership and trust,” according to Johannesburg-based social commentator, Sisonke Msimang. The crisis, she posits, has emerged from the nexus of these overlapping problems. We are reminded of the street rumors in Monrovia at the start of the crisis that Ebola was an invention by the government to obtain more assistance for a donor-dependent nation. Was there a need to delve into the trust factor and see this crisis through the prism of trust between government and the governed? How much of the rapid spread of the disease was a factor of the quality of that social contract? Should this too have informed media-shaped global perceptions of the crisis?

The failure of governance has been occasionally mentioned, if only to make sense of the total systems breakdown in the effected countries. Local responsibility for this has been well documented. But should anyone have asked what all the aid agencies – omnipresent in Liberia – have been up to all these years? Where have all the hundreds of millions in assistance and health-related investment gone? Would the evidence of a seed planted not be there even if the seed withered and died? Is the Ebola story another sad reminder of all that is wrong with foreign aid as we know it? Should this too not inform the storyline?

It is notable that the crisis persists in three countries that were essentially destroyed by war and internal strife. The same cross-border movements that took Ebola from Guinea to Sierra Leone and Liberia are prevalent along borders with Ghana, Mali and Senegal. If war is the single factor of vulnerability, is there something to be said about the proliferation of arms and the role of the global military industrial complex in these outcomes? Should the global discourse on Ebola not take into account the havoc on fragile societies brought about by the unregulated international market for guns and bombs?

Questions, and more questions! The pharmaceutical industry has generally been spectacular in its efforts to contain the disease and continues to offer the world that occasional ray of hope that even this dreaded monster can eventually be tamed. But Africans everywhere took note of the timing of the announcement of progress in the search for anti-Ebola therapies. That came when the first American citizen was infected and flown home for treatment. The result was a rash of conspiracy theories about experiments in biological weaponry gone bad. The theories quickly fizzled due to lack of interest in the dominant media and, possibly, the underlying improbability of the assertions that were made. But the important angle about the industry and how it operates deserved, at the very least, deeper analysis. Did the global media go to sleep on this one, or was it considered not important to the overall story?

Questions too should be asked about the innumerable institutes of tropical medicine that litter the African research landscape. Muted voices on the Continent have suggested that solutions to the disease are available in the surroundings from whence it came. Are African researchers so glued to the norms they learned in school that they are totally unable to think outside the box and look within their immediate vicinity for some answers? What is going on behind those institutional walls? Is the silence media induced or simply a reflection of inactivity in their labs?

Media has not been complicit in some macabre plot to return Africa to the disease narrative. Certainly not media in Africa. If anything, media professionals on the Continent have, in their cut-and-paste approach to coverage, demonstrated a debilitating ignorance of the issues and of their role in helping society deal with the impact of the disease. They have not asked the right questions. Yet, as every editor knows, until the real questions are asked, the real story will never be told. My AMI colleagues are working with other media-industry actors to address the many challenges that continue to affect media and make it an insignificant player in Africa’s development agenda.

[Reprinted from the newsletter of the Global Fund for Media Development.]

(Eric Chinje is the CEO of the African Media Initiative. He was leader of the Global Media Program at the World Bank Institute (WBI) and has been  editor-in-chief of Cameroon Television.)

Kids play Deusey for other kids

This Diwali/ Teohar would have been all the same but for the two-day effort in cold weather by a group of eight  kids, aged between 6 to 11 years, who went around playing Deusey and raising money not for themselves but in a more noble pursuit. Their hard work yielded sufficient cash for them to purchase 89 sets of good quality woolen caps and mufflers for the 89 kids at Miss Keepu’s Lepcha Cottage at Chandmari. They went there on 26 Oct (Sunday) and handed over these as gifts purchased from their own earnings. The group consisted of Lakshya Shaurya Agarwal (Class V  - TNA), Abhisek Agarwal (Class V - Mt. Zion Kidzee), Mrinal Agarwal, Tanisha Agarwal, Vansh Verma, Vanshika Verma (Class IV- TNA),  Kashish Agarwal and Akansha Verma (Class I - TNA).

[shared by Anita Agarwal, Mother of Lakshya Shaurya]

Gangtok – Challenged for Safety

FIGHTING FIRES AND RESPONDING TO DISASTERS IN THE CRAMPED CAPITAL REMAINS A PERSISTENT URBAN WOE

ANAND OBEROI
Two major fires in the past week, one of which resulted in a fatality [the death of a child], has once again raised the question of how safe Gangtok really is from such disasters. Inadequate building byelaws, ineffectual implementation of safety norms, cramped spaces, lack of coordination between concerned agencies and low level of awareness among the people and neglect by property owners places Gangtok rather high on the vulnerability list of natural or manmade disasters [if such a list exists]. With the population of Gangtok growing by the day and the capital preferring to get crowded instead of expanding, one wonders if Gangtok can even be prepared for the worst case scenario of a major fire or a natural disaster that leaves a wider footprint that the last big earthquake.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Fire Department, Prakash Rai, a veteran when it comes to fighting fires in Sikkim, says that if the level of awareness among the masses and coordination between all concerned organizations does not improve, mitigation will remain a far cry even as rescue and relief will be severely challenged in the event of a “big” event.
The DCFO points out that with Gangtok now having over six major slum areas identified, inaccessibility to reach all areas in the event of a disaster could turn the tables around for any firefighting agency.
“In some parts of Gangtok there are around 16 families living in 20 rooms in a single, cramped building,” he points out to illustrate that access and maneuverability are not hindered only on the roads but also on location.
Most buildings with tenants are similarly crowded, presenting a major challenge to evacuation, rescue and firefighting efforts.
Since these tenements cannot be emptied out, the only option left is wider awareness and more responsible living and lifestyles.
“There has to be some awareness on fire safety and even the concerned house-owners should now start believing that what happened in Deorali last week where a child died of suffocation could happen to them as well,” the DCFO states.

In Gangtok, apart from worry of fighting disasters like fires in chaotic tenements that pretend to be residential buildings, the bigger concern and worry is the prospect of fighting fires in public establishments such as private schools and the mushrooming hotels in and around the capital. Indiscriminate and unplanned construction in areas that were already congested has made it difficult for the fire department to reach help to the victims on time. There has not been an incident on these lines, that is no guarantee that it will not happen. A visit to some private schools operating out of buildings constructed for residences and serviced by a single flight of cramped stairs should have more people worried. In this regard, schools with their own campus and open spaces, like most government schools, are better appointed.
Safety clearly does not rank very high in the list of priorities for Gangtok establishments. Take for instance, the dangerous practice of hotels locking the main [and only] gate of the properties at night. Guests returning to their hotels after a late night out can be spied often knocking at these doors trying to wake up the attendant. In the event of a fire in the hotel, guests will be trapped inside by the same doors. And yet the practice continues unchecked.
The DCFO adds here that Gangtok has now become a hub for all business activities including travel and trade and “prevention” is the only solution to avert tragedies. He says that all concerned like every owner of a hotel or a principal of a school should be aware of the risks involved if such an incident was to occur in their premises and each should have a counter measure in place and all its staff and personnel drilled for safe evacuation and rescue efforts.
“Even in areas with small passages, some clear escape spaces have to be kept so that in case of an emergency we have access for evacuating people and deal with the disaster,” he states, while adding that this is the only way disasters can be dealt with effectively since the Fire department does not have the authority to dismantle any structure before a fire or any disaster.
“We have been distributing IEC [information, education, communication] material, conducting school safety awareness programmes and evacuation drills in schools for the past many years and this has helped to a great extent. There are also other agencies like the Land Revenue and Disaster management department which are doing their part but still in case of a tragedy the only option that we as fire fighters have is for the concerned people to be aware of the risks beforehand and put-up an accessibility mechanism in place for us to do our job,” he states.
Here, he adds that as per the experience of the Fire & Emergency Services department, it has always been a tough job fighting fires in Gangtok. He mentions that every time it is the same situation they have to deal with. “We have a prescribed format for fighting fires but in Gangtok we have to change all tactics and adapt given the ground situation and peculiar challenges which take time and could prove fatal for a trapped victim. We set targets before hand but that does not work at times since we have to adapt with every disaster, practically saying fire fighting is becoming difficult here everyday,” he states.    
In this context he also stresses on the need for the people to follow the rules and guidelines laid down by the department like setting up of a good security and fire proof system in their respective premises like hotels. “What if the main gate of a hotel is closed and the customers are all stuck inside the building when a fire occurs. There should at least be extinguishers, first aid kits, torches etc to respond to the fire initially since we take some time to reach the spot. This is what the general public should realize and adapt as precautionary and preventive measures. A little help from every angle comes handy to fight disasters effectively,” states the DCFO.
He also lays stress on the need for all concerned departments to adopt precautionary measures in respect to fire prevention and help in fire control.
Firefighters come in only after a fire has started but what if the concerned departments set up mechanisms that would discourage fires from breaking out? What if the power department regularly maintains transformers and electrical circuits [since short circuits are blamed most often for starting fires]? What if the traffic police regularly clear traffic from congested arterial roads so that keeping clear access becomes a habit for vehicle owners? What if the Buildings & Housing Department, UD&HD and GMC coordinated and maintained a close check on building bye-laws? What if the PHE maintains the supply of water in the water hydrants and static tanks at a regular basis and it is not done only after a verification finds the tanks empty. Every one clearly has a part to play in the risk management.
Meanwhile, the DCFO adds here that vehicle parking management in each locality could be carried out by respective societies. He also mentions that each locality could also devise methods of effective firefighting in their respective areas by bringing in suggestions and the general public taking up initiatives to combat disasters in their areas.
That said, despite lapses and challenges, the firefighters have and will respond to any situation. The DCFO maintains that the fire department personnel regularly conduct topography recce and verification of identified trouble areas in and around Gangtok flagging the worries and devising solutions in the event that they have to charge into these traps on rescue and firefighting missions. “Even if we do not have the latest equipment, we still have alternative means to deal with fires like backpacks, breathing apparatus for congested areas, small mobile fire tenders and extra hoses. But till we get there it should be the general public of the area who should be more aware,” he states.
He adds here that since the months of February, March and April are the dry spell and more prone to forest fires [apart from other fires], it is only awareness that could lead to control of this disaster since firefighting in the terrain here is still a major challenge for firefighters because of the limited manpower technology.
“We have nine fire stations in the state and that is still not enough in the context of how Sikkim is growing.  Risk management is what is needed and our mantra now should be, Safety-Making it a way of Life,” he stresses.

While agreeing that awareness is the most effective medium, the Deputy Mayor, Gangtok Municipal Corporation, Shakti Singh states that even the municipality and the state line departments have now begun to understand the gravity of the situation at hand. He says that keeping in view the precarious situation Gangtok is in at the moment, the GMC has endorsed the vulnerability aspect with the line departments.
“We have addressed this issue with the Development Commissioner and have requested him for the establishment of more sub-stations in and around Gangtok. With Gangtok growing, we now require fire substations at every major locality for which we are devising an action plan,” he states.
Here, he states that fire sub stations are now being considered for areas such as Bye-Pass, Tadong and Sichey. Further, he also informs that static tanks (reserve water tanks) would also be considered for inaccessible areas like Deorali and Siyari where there will be provisions of water hydrants in the suburbs of Gangtok as well.
“The civil defense under the District Collector is also undergoing trainings continuously. The GMC is coordinating with the administration to help in rescue and first in case of such disasters as well. The UD&HD is also in the process of working out a new building byelaw that could prove useful in fire fighting,” adds the Deputy Mayor.
He also informs that water hydrants in most of the 15 wards in Gangtok could be a possibility soon since there would be 24 hrs continuous running water in the future thanks to the water supply programme under the ADB that will be implemented soon.
“New hydrants can be set up, and new static tanks constructed since there will be direct accessibility of water to these areas soon. Unlike now when we have to inform the PHE to leave the water to a certain tank in an area when a fire arises, with this scheme there will be continuous water that will prove effective in fire fighting,” he states.

Gangyap Girls retain CBSE East Zone Basketball title... for the fifth consecutive year!

GANGTOK, 31 Oct: The girls from Eklavya Model Residential School [EMRS], Gangyap, have retained the championship trophy at the CBSE Under-19 East Zone Basketball Championship for the fifth consecutive time. They have remained unbeaten holders of the title since 2010.
The team returned home with the cup yet again from the CBSE Under-19 East Zone Basketball Cluster 1 Championship held from 25 to 27 October at Guwahati. This time, EMRS-Gangyap had fielded a boys’ team as well at the championship.
On their debut, the EMRS-Gangyap boys, led by Pema Chewang of Class XI as captain, beat Gurukool School, Guwahati in their first match but went down to St Francis Narangi in the quarter-final round. The spectators, treated to excellence of the Gangyap Girls all these years, appreciated the contesting fight given by EMRS boys team as well.
On the other hand, the Girls’ basketball team, the champions for the past 4 years, were playing their first CBSE tournament without the 8 seniors with whom their basketball domination had begun. The eight passed out from school earlier this year.
This time, the girls were led by Tshering Eden Bhutia of Class XII as captain and Diki Doma Bhutia of class XII as vice-captain. They ensured their domination of the court and made sure that EMRS-Gangyap retained the championship title for the fifth time.
The girls team played against Axel Public School in the quarterfinals after being awarded a bye in the first round and beat them 59-02 in a clearly one-sided rubber.
In the semifinals, they demolished Delhi Public School, Guwahati 87-06 with Tshering Eden scoring 30 and Diki scoring 26 points.
They faced St. Francis in the finals. St. Francis had earlier defeated the Guwahati team MBRS by some 40 points and had promised a contesting finals. But the Girls from Gangyap just swept through the finals thrashing them 86-04 with Tshering Eden scoring 35 and Diki scoring 34.
With the win, the EMRS girls’ team has qualified for the Nationals scheduled to be held in the first week of December in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Schools from Nagaland, Meghalaya and Assam had taken part in this CBSE Cluster 1 meet.
[from information shared by the Principal and Basketball Coach of EMRS-Gangyap, Sidharth Yonzon.]

Rescuing Victims of Trafficking

REHABILITATION PRESENTS A BIGGER CHALLENGE
Earlier this week, a raid in Siliguri led to the rescue of girls from the region who had been enticed away from their homes and were on the verge of being played into the flesh trade. Elsewhere in this edition of the paper is a report on how the traffickers are using new tools and technologies to prey on the gullible. The same feature also speaks of one of the more earnest soldiers in the battle against human trafficking in the region, Charimaya Tamang, who is herself a survivor who was kidnapped while still a minor and who lived what must have been two horrific years of abuse before she was rescued. She faced the challenge of rehabilitation first hand, and her story, and the concern of agencies working in rehabilitation of trafficking survivors, brings to mind the plight of a Sikkim girl rescued some years ago from a Pune brothel. She was among three girls from the region rescued in Pune. While the families of the other two victims were contacted and the girls returned home almost immediately, contact could not be established with the family of the girl from Sikkim for a long while. She was too traumatised from her experience and understandably, in the absence of family, unwilling to return. She was kept under recuperation in a rehabilitation centre in Pune for the physical and psychological trauma suffered during her years as a victim of trafficking. Still more years ago, a Sessions Court in Mumbai convicted four people involved in the trafficking of two girls from rural East Sikkim. The girls, the Court order had recorded, were enticed away from home and then forced into prostitution in Mumbai; one of them was not even 16. This was an important and rare victory for everyone involved in initiatives to protect girls and women from the trauma - physical and psychological - of being consumed by the lurid flesh trade. More than ‘justice’ for the victims, such convictions serve as deterrents for others planning to prey on the underprivileged. The judgments also serve as lessons, as evidence that the horror stories one associates with movies and works of fiction are very real. They also hold up the mirror to the society at large for having failed to keep the vulnerable away from harm. And while on the question of justice, it is unlikely that punishing the perpetrators will heal the victims... And they need healing. Every effort needs to be made to help victims get over the trauma they have suffered. And that is where the battle is almost always lost.
Victims of trafficking are invariably from the underprivileged section of the society. Whether they are enticed away by promises of ‘good, well-paying jobs’, blatantly ‘purchased’ to be sold into sexual slavery, or stolen away with promises of marriage [as happens often in the net cast by the predators on social networking sites], it is their destitution that sets them up as prey. The privation that makes victims out of them, need not always be economic poverty, it can also be a poverty of opportunities or the violence of denial; social conditions that make the victims take risks (by responding to obviously impossible offers), and even make their families ignore the obvious risks of sending them away. The warped sense of priorities of a disinterested society and the still prevalent gender discrimination puts the girl child and women in harm’s way. To keep them safe in Sikkim will require a complete overhaul of the structures erected to work for the womenfolk here and the process has been initiated by the State Government through measures like handing over all aid and benefits to the lady of the house, but meaningful empowerment will require the society and its organisations to take the process forward by abandoning their elitist and male-centric responses to social conditions. The societal indifference manifested in its refusal to even accept that trafficking is prevalent in Sikkim reflects an elitist disconnect from ground realities and male chauvinism that believes it can ignore the issue and no one will notice. Though girls and women continue to be taken away and some even rescued from time to time, even agencies claiming to work for and among women, see these instances as aberrations. They perhaps believe that accepting that trafficking is prevalent will embarrass the State. Of course it will, but ignoring it or seeing the instances proving otherwise as aberrations means not doing enough to protect and save the victims and that will not only embarrass, but also damn everyone. Sikkim still does not have a codified process to rehabilitate rescued victims of trafficking. It is wrong to believe that pulling them out of a brothel or other abusive environments is rescuing them. Victims of trafficking go through acute physical and psychological trauma; a change of address is not enough. They have to undergo proper and extensive counselling, before they can have a shot of leading normal lives. Many rescued victims have been known to return to prostitution and/ or become alcoholics. This is not a reflection on their ‘character’, as many paint it to be, but a manifestation of the societal disinterest in their condition which fails to comfort and rehabilitate them. Professional counselling for victims of trafficking or other forms of sexual violence is still not the norm. This is unfortunate, because this succour should be reaching them even before police or legal assistance. It is an accepted fact that victims of sexual violence develop a guilt-perception, believing that they, in some way, ‘invited’ the abuse they suffered. Only professional counselling can help them overcome that trauma. When it comes to victims of trafficking, their rehabilitation demands that they receive, apart from psychological counselling, state support to acquire employable skills and then receive the financial assistance to become economically independent. Deny them these, and they remain defenceless, and in the process at risk of becoming victims again. Conviction of their tormentors by the Courts is important because it helps convincing them that they were victims, but to ensure that their trauma does not debilitate their futures, the society that exposed them to the trauma that visited them, needs to put in place a codified process that provides them psychological and medical counselling, effective legal aid, sensitive rehabilitation that equips them for a gainful self-employment and financial support by way of grants a loans which make it possible for them to strike out on their own. Do all this, and we would have only started the process of keeping them and the future generations safe. Don’t do it, and continue receiving news that rescued victims are unwilling to return...

DSR

Accused in sexual assault nabbed
GANGTOK: The accused in a sexual assault case, 33 year old Simon Rai, was arrested from Rhenock on Friday morning. The accused, originally a resident of Kalimpong, had been absconding after sexually assaulting a 33 year old woman at Khani Gaon on 23 October. Active assistance from SHO Rhenock Police Station and his team helped Rangpo Police nab the absconding accused, a Sikkim Police update informs.

Youths booked under SADA
GANGTOK: Sadar Police on 29 October arrested one Rajesh Gupta, 26, of Rongli Bazaar in possession of contraband substances. The accused was found “loitering” around the Central Referral Hospital gate in a “suspicious manner” and when checked, was found in possession of 178 capsules of Spasmoproxyvon and 7 tablets of Nitrosun-10, a Sikkim Police update informs. A case under section 9/14 of SADA has been registered against the accused.
The same day, a 19 year old youth from Gyalshing was arrested by Melli Police in possession of contraband substances as well. The accused was travelling from Siliguri towards Gyalshing in a taxi jeep when he was nabbed with contraband substances during routine checking of vehicles at Melli Check Post.

Fire!
GANGTOK: At around midnight on 29 Oct, a fire broke out at the 11th Battalion ITBP Camp, Pegong, in North Sikkim. Fire Tenders were immediately rushed to the scene. Electrical short circuit in the kitchen is believed to be the reason behind the incident. No casualties were reported.

Committee to examine delimitation or urban wards

The state government has constituted a committee to examine and workout the delimitation of ward boundaries of the Urban Local Bodies in Sikkim ahead of the ULB elections scheduled for the first half of next year. This, in accordance with section 9 (a)(b)(c) of the Sikkim Municipalities Act, 2007.
The Committee is headed by Secretary Food & Civil Supplies DP Sharma, and includes LB Chhetri, Special Secretary, Urban Development & Housing Department, HB Gurung, Director, Panchayat, Rural Management & Development Department as members and MN Dhakal, Joint Chief Electoral Officer, Election Department, as Member Secretary.
A notification to this effect was published on 17 October directing the committee to complete the delimitation process within four months from the date of notification and submit a report accordingly.
As per the terms or reference of the committee, the delimitation of wards of Municipalities shall be done as per provision of section 8 of the Sikkim Municipalities Act, 2007.
“While constituting Municipalities under section 8 of the Act each constituent ward of Municipality shall, as far as practicable be serially numbered maintaining continuity of the area to be organized as such ward in Municipalities,” the terms or reference of the committee details.

Traffickers move online to prey, victims still await meaningful rehabilitation

BIRENDRA SHANDILYA

There has been a noticeable change in human trafficking trends and methods when it comes to the activities of pimps and their supply of the flesh trade. Indo-Nepal cross-border trafficking is on a decline, supplemented instead by a steady increase in trafficking from the North East Region and from Darjeeling. Traffickers are also using technology and preying on the gullibility of first-time users of apps and services which have now inundated these parts as mobile phones get cheaper, their features more advanced with no noticeable improvements in the understanding of people here on the nefarious abuse of technology by the criminally inclined.

“The trend is changing. Traffickers are making use of technology including online social sites to lure the girls. Dingy brothels are now being replaced by highend hotels, lodges, massage parlours and discos. A recent study by us has revealed that though Indo-Nepal cross border trafficking is on the decline, the demand for women with Mongoloid features with fair complexion has increased and is being serviced with more rampant trafficking from the Darjeeling Hills and North East Region. They are being passed off as girls from Thailand in massage parlors in places like Goa,” claimed Arun Pandey of Anyay Rahit Zindagi [ARZ], a Goa-based NGO working on rescue and rehabilitation of trafficked victims.

Mr. Pandey remarked that the biggest challenge faced by victims from Darjeeling following their rescue is rehabilitation.

“There have been incidents in which girls from Darjeeling have been rescued from massage parlors in Goa where they were being sexually exploited. Following the rescue, the challenge we face is rehabilitation. Though there is a rehabilitation programme of the Government of Goa, the victims prefer to return. However there is no rehabilitation home in Darjeeling and there is no rehabilitation scheme of the West Bengal Government for trafficked victims,” details Mr. Pandey.

“As per a Supreme Court ruling, the State Government has to compensate victims of trafficking, acid attack and rape. However I am not aware of any such compensation by the West Bengal Government to rescued victims,” he adds.

The girls are usually lured to the massage parlours with promises of lavish salaries. Once they start working in the parlours, they are forced into the sex trade. Mr. Pandey further states that an amendment of Section 370 of the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act criminalises anyone who recruits, transports, harbours, transfers or receives a person using certain means (including threats, force, coercion, fraud, deception, abduction, abuse of power, or inducement) for purposes of exploitation.

“Owing to this it is a crime to buy sex and customers can be arrested. In recent years the Government has strated sealing brothels and massage parlors where such crime has been committed,” added Mr. Pandey.

Traffickers are now recruiting local women to work as Managers from the source location. The job of the “manager” is to lure girls for which they get good money. “In order to stop this, criminal cases have to be initiated and perpetrators need to be booked from the source point to send a strong message to the predators,” stresses Mr. Pandey.

Meanwhile, guarding the open border with Nepal against traffickers presents another challenge.

“The open border is a boon for both Indians and Nepalese. However, the security agencies have to remain highly vigilant against traffickers. Those who commit crime taking advantage of this great facility (open border) should be punished. There should be stringent legislation against border crimes specially relating to trafficking,” insists Charimaya Tamang of Shakti Samuha, an NGO from Nepal.

Ms. Tamang, herself a victim of trafficking, started the Shakti Samuha in 1996 along with 14 others like her who had been rescued from the brothels of Mumbai. While Ms. Tamang is a recipient of “Hero Acting to End Modern-Day Slavery Award 2011” of the USA, Shakti Samuha was awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2013 for its contribution to rooting out human trafficking and improving the lives of trafficking survivors. 

Ms. Tamang feels that more emphasis should be given to “prevention” than “rescue”. She appealed to Government departments, NGOs and Society to work in close coordination to prevent trafficking along with need for protection of rights and privacy of the rescued. She further appealed to society and family members of victims to be more receptive to their rehabilitation.

Charimaya was trafficked when she was barely 16. In 1994, she was abducted from the Shivapur jungles near her village in Sindupal Chowk of Nepal when she had gone to collect fodder. From there she was taken to Gorakhpur and then landed up in a brothel in Mumbai.

On 05 February 1996, the Government launched a first-ever major raid in the red light district of Kamathipura, Mumbai. 500 girls below the age of 18 were rescued. They were from India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Out of the 500, more than 200 girls were from Nepal. With the Nepal Government reluctant to facilitate their return, NGOs and Human Rights organizations of Nepal facilitated the return of the victims. Finally after six months in halfway homes, 128 trafficked victims, including Ms. Tamang, returned to Nepal.