SHIMLA: HP govt takes welfare measures for Gorkha community

Posted by Barun Roy on February 17th, 2011

0

0

 

i

 

Rate This

FROM NEWS.IN.MSN.COM

Shimla, Feb 17 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh Government today said it has taken various welfare measures for Gorkha community in the state.

“The community has been given 12 per cent reservation in Class I and II posts and 18 per cent in Class III and IV categories,” Chief Minister P K Dhumal said at a Gorkha Welfare Board meeting.

Three Indian Reserve Battalions comprising Gorkha members have been raised in the state, he said.

State Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Sarveen Chaudhary, who was also present in the meeting, said, “Gorkha community has been included in the OBC list and all benefits meant for members of the the category were available to them.

“The government will provide free computer training to children of BPL families from Gorkha community. The community members can avail Rs 5 lakh loan for self-employment ventures.” PTI PCL

First lot of Residential Certificates to be issued within a month

GANGTOK, 08 Feb: People eligible for the recently notified Residential Certificates will have to wait a month or little longer to secure one for themselves. These certificates, as per a State Government notification issued a couple of months back, is to be issued to all those who have been residing in Sikkim since before 26 April 1975 or are permanent employees of the State Government, but do not have a Certificate of Identification [issued to Sikkim Subject Certificate holders and their descendents].
The matter, anyone who has been following political developments in Sikkim will recall, is a hotly debated one between the ruling party and those in the Opposition, with the latter seeing it as something which will dilute the status of the Sikkim Subjects. This, of course, has been dismissed by the State Government, with the Chief Minister often detailing that the RC is not at par with Sikkim Subjects.
As for the reason why the RCs have not yet been issued, a senior official at the District Administrative Centre [East] informs that this is because the State Government first wants the district authorities to complete the verification of Certificates of Identification. As things stand, this task is to be completed by 20 February, but it is a major undertaking and could take longer.
“After completing this verification of Sikkim Subject Certificates and CoIs, we will proceed with issuing RCs,” the official said, adding, “Within a month or little longer we will be able to issue the first lot of RCs to the eligible applicants.”
He further informed that the authorities are also currently working on the guidelines, shape, size, format, colour and other technical details of the RCs.
source;SikkimNow SUBASH RAI

SNPP writes to the President

To,

H.E. Shmt. Pratibha Patil,

President of India,Rashtrapati Bhawan,
New Delhi.

Dated: February 4, 2011

Your Excellency,

The Sikkim National People’s Party, on behalf of the Sikkimese people, would like to draw your attention to the failings of the Constitutional arrangements for Sikkim, as well as the total violation of the Spirit of the 8th May agreement, 1973, which agreement started the process of Sikkim’s association with the


Sikkim Map - The Sikkim National People’s Party
Union of India. Despite the fact that the people willingly signed this agreement, the events leading up to the “merger” which took place in 1975 seems more to define an annexation, and it would be an affront to the self respect of the Sikkimese people to continue calling it a merger, without taking concrete steps to rectify the gaping holes in the administrative and constitutional arrangements, which were devised to affect this merger. These arrangements have not stood the test of time and the violation to the spirit of the said agreement is becoming increasingly apparent, with the unchecked exploitation of Sikkim’s natural resources, and the massive influx which is drowning the people in their own lands, despite the special provisions under Article 371f of the constitution, which prohibits such things.

Your Excellency may recall that in 1977, the then Prime Minister of India, Shri. Morarji Desai, had publicly acknowledged that what was done to Sikkim was “wrong”, and it is admissions like these and others -and to rectify which nothing has been done in the last three decades- which bring about a feeling of distrust, especially among the educated young generation, which the party feels shall not be healthy in the long run. The party feels the statement above of the former Prime Minister should be seen in the light of the guidelines adopted by the International Law Commission at its fifty-third session in 2001, regarding the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts, and process for reparation of injury as per these guidelines be initiated, so that the self respect of the people is restored.

As Sikkim is a state with international borders on four sides, the party feels these anomalies regarding constitutional provisions have a direct bearing on national security, as they also leave scope for interference by external agencies. Your Excellency may also recall that prior to 1975 relations between Sikkim and the Govt. of India was guided by the Indo-Sikkim treaty of 1950, which treaty has been taken out of the picture by the 36th amendment of the Indian Constitution. Though the party has yet to determine if the Parliament of India had jurisdiction over an international treaty, it feels forces inimical to Indian interests could use this as an excuse to ferment unrest within Sikkim, which again shall have direct consequences for national security.

In view of the points raised above, the undersigned request that Your Excellency direct the Govt. of India to form a committee to go into the violations of the letter and spirit of the 8th May Agreement, and to give recommendations so that the merger of Sikkim with the Union is never questioned again. We would also request that this committee include representatives of the Sikkimese people and that this exercise be started immediately with the seriousness which it deserves .

Yours Faithfully

Residential Certificates are not at par with Sikkim Subject Certificates, CM reiterates


NAMCHI, 06 Feb: The Residential Certificates [to be issued to those who have been residing in Sikkim since before 26 April 1975 but do not possess Sikkim Subject Certificates] are meant to check influx and secure the future of Sikkim and the Sikkimese but the Opposition parties are seeking to mislead the people into believing that RCs will compromise the status and significance of Sikkim Subjects, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling stressed today. He was speaking at the Sonam Lochar celebrations organised at Kateng in Namthang, South Sikkim.

The CM called on the people to now ask Opposition party leaders to explain how the Residential Certificates could be equated at the same pedestal as the Sikkim Subjects, an identity protected by the Constitution of India.
The Chief Minister explained that the RC was introduced to secure a clearer identity for those who have been residing in Sikkim since before the merger [but did not possess Sikkim Subject Certificates], and stressed that this was not even Constitutionally possible to create a ‘certificate’ equal in value or significance to the Sikkim Subject Certificate.
The move is not to replace the Sikkim Subject Certificates, he assured, and thus was not a violation of any Old Law either, he added.
The Residential Certificates, he contended, was in favour of the people of Sikkim and was a decision preceded by a lot of serious thinking and clear commitment to the interests of the Sikkimese, he stressed.
“Those protesting it should be held to account by the people because these groups are trying to put hurdles in smooth functioning and better development of Sikkim,” he said.
He pointed out how the SDF Government had succeeded in winning Income Tax exemption for Sikkim Subjects and held it up as an example of the care with which the government looks out for the interests of the Sikkimese.
“With this [Income Tax] exemption, we have enhanced the value of the Sikkim Subject Certificate and people should realise that we have never done anything to undermine the importance of Sikkim Subjects in the 17 years that we have been at the helm of affairs in the State,” he stressed.
Confident that he had the trust of the people, the CM however rued that people tend to remain silent spectators, opting to remain neutral even when their interests are directly at stake. Democracy, he stressed, required people to get involved and send out clear signals to agent provocateurs bent upon vitiating the peace in the State and derail development here.
While on an involved citizenry, the CM also commented that the collective participation which democracy encourages should be extended to the cooperative movement in the State and called on the cooperative societies to benefit from the government decision to award them works of up to Rs. 50 lakhs. “Don’t sell these works on a commission. Carry them out, benefit from the experience and profits and make the society stronger,” he appealed. He said that the performing cooperative societies could even be considered for works of up to Rs. 5 crores.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of a Tamang Community Centre at Kateng. He was also felicitated by the Sonam Lochar organising committee today. The CM was accompanied by Ministers Tilu Gurung, CB Karki, Namchi-Singithang MLA Binod Gurung, senior party leaders and officers of various departments.
He also interacted with the youth of Namthang-Rateypani constituency at the Namthang Block Administrative Centre.
[PURAN TAMANG]source:sikkimnow

SNPP wants President to constitute committee to study and evaluate abidance of Tripartite Agreement and Constitutional soundness of Merger

GANGTOK, 06 Feb: The Sikkim National People’s Party [SNPP] has written to the President of India, calling on her office to institute a committee to look into how the guiding principles of Sikkim-India relations, as codified in the Tripartite Agreement of 08 May 1973, study in detail what the SNPP sees as violation of the letter and spirit of this Agreement and then make adequate recommendations “so that the merger of Sikkim with the Union of India is never questioned again”.
Addressing a press conference here today, the SNPP president, Biraj Adhikari, contended that the memorandum has been submitted on behalf of the Sikkimese people, and that it draws the attention of the President of India to what claims are “failings of the Constitutional arrangements for Sikkim”, as well as the violation of the Tripartite Agreement of 1973, the agreement which started the process of Sikkim’s association with the Union of India.
Sharing details of the memorandum, Mr. Adhikari informed that it states, “Despite the fact that the people willingly signed the agreement, the events leading up to the ‘merger’ which took place in 1975 seem more to define an annexation, and it would be an affront to the self respect of the Sikkimese people to continue calling it a merger without taking concrete steps to rectify the gaping holes in the administrative and constitutional arrangements which were devised to affect this merger”.
Reportedly, the letter also conveys the SNPP’s fears that “anomalies regarding constitutional provisions” could have a direct bearing on national security, as they leave scope for “interference by external agencies”.
Stating that prior to 1975, relations between Sikkim and the Government of India were guided by the Indo-Sikkim Treaty of 1950, which was taken out of the picture by the 36th amendment of the Indian Constitution formalising the merger, the memorandum adds that though the party “has yet to determine if the Parliament of India has the jurisdiction over an international treaty, it feels that forces inimical to Indian interests could use this as an excuse to foment unrest within Sikkim, which again shall have direct consequences for national security.”
Mr. Adhikari argued today that the arrangements of the merger have not stood the test of time and that violations of the Tripartite Agreement were becoming “increasingly apparent with the unchecked exploitation of Sikkim’s natural resources and the massive influx which is drowning the people in their own lands, despite the special provisions under Article 371f of the constitution, which prohibits such things.”
The memorandum adds, “Your Excellency may recall that in 1977, the then Prime Minister of India, Shri. Morarji Desai, had publicly acknowledged that what was done to Sikkim was “wrong”, and it is admissions like these and others- and to rectify which nothing has been done in the last three decades- which bring about a feeling of distrust, especially among the educated young generation, which the party feels shall not be healthy in the long run. The party feels the statement above of the Prime Minister should be seen in the light of the guidelines adopted by the International Commission at its fifty-third session in 2001, regarding the Responsibility of the States for internationally Wrongful acts, and process for reparation of injury as per these guidelines be initiated, so that the self respect of the people is restored.”
Mr. Adhikari was accompanied to the press conference by the SNPP treasurer, Delay Namgyal Barfungpa, and appealed that the requested committee include Sikkimese representatives and be instituted “immediately with the seriousness which it deserves”.
[ANAND OBEROI]source:sikkimnow