15 August 2019, 12:13 am

73rd I Day Message from HCM Sh PS Tamang (Golay)

By voiceofsikkim · Historical Archive

Today, we are celebrating the 73rd, Independence Day. Our hearty congratulations, warmest greetings and very best wishes to the people of India and our own state Sikkim. As we are aware the Independence came to India after a protracted struggle against the British regime. Our towering leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Baba Ambedkar, Sardar Patel, Lala Lajpat Rai, Subhas Chandra Bose, Rani Lakhsmibai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Rajendra Prasad and Birsa Munda played a very crucial role in securing? freedom to our country. We pay our respectful homage to all our leaders and freedom fighters.

Every community, every institution, every geography and every faith fought valiantly in their own way to bring freedom. They used their own languages and instruments of expression of vehement protest and condemnation. Hundreds of martyrs like Shahid Bhagat Singh, Durga Malla and Khudiram Bose sacrificed their lives to bring much cherished freedom, back to our country. Our highest tribute to all those across the country who fought for India?s independence keeping our national interest uppermost in mind.

Our freedom movement and independence inspired the entire global community. So many countries under the clutches of Colonialism in Asia, Africa and Latin America drew lessons and courage from India. India was a force to reckon with in the non aligned movement. Today we are recognized as one of the fastest growing economies with huge technological, demographic, market and production advantages. We are a nuclear power for decades and figure among top six nations? in space power. We feel proud, fortunate and blessed to be Indians.

We have a forward looking and committed Government in the Centre led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Under his stewardship far reaching concepts and determinations like cooperative federalism, neighbourhood first, ?Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas sabkaa bishwas' ?Samridha and Sashakta Bharat? and 'Bhrastachar Mukt Bharat' are going to bring new directions to the entire national ethos. These are backed by scores of transforming projects like ?Swacha Bharat?, ?Aayushman Bharat?, ?Bharatmala Pariyojana?, and Goods and Services Tax.

We could see and feel how in the last five years the North East region is steadily getting connected within themselves, with the rest of India and also with the neighbouring countries. We heartily welcome and support the creation of two union territories in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and also removal of Article 370 of the Constitution. We would like to profusely thank the Prime Minister for new direction, huge development strides and significant policy interventions.

Our Government is? 2 months, 19 days old. We have? started a long journey of repositioning Sikkim as the Green Capital of India. Our prosperity will be loaded with equality. Our youth will be drivers of change and progress. We shall use our cultural heritage, music and literary fountains, traditional wisdom,? creativity of youth, positive attitude? and natural resources? for peace and harmony as our SOFT POWER. Under the SOFT POWER strategy, when we smile, the entire country will celebrate our smile with great applause. The global world will draw tranquility and harmony from our smile. That is why in our first budget we have introduced the concept of ?Smile Always? Gift of Rs 10/- by all the tourists visiting Sikkim.

We feel doubly disturbed to mention that we inherited a distressed and disoriented Sikkim from the last government which ruled for almost 25 years. People at large suffered. They were forced and enticed divisions on the basis of caste, creed and community. Nowhere in the post merger history, had the common people of Sikkim lived in so much of fear, apprehensions and uncertainty. Even the national institutions remain defamed. There were developments without any policies. As a result, development was done regardless of its adverse impact on the people.

Decision making process was centralized to an individual. Leader always remained above the institutions, norms, rules and laws, community and geography and wisdom and nature. It was blatant centralization in every sense of the term. Officials, civil society, private sector, intellectuals, youth, experts and political parties were? marginalized. Corruption, somehow? has been institutionalized. Numerous reprimands even from the high office of Comptroller and Auditor General were ignored.

The state of Sikkim today is laden with debt and liabilities. We inherited literally an empty exchequer. Government funds were managed by few? individuals. There is prosperity for little but inequality all over. Our natural resources including water are in the state of mismanagement. The marginalised communities remain threatened.. The Government data and statistics are manipulated only to get individual award and recognition. Many of? widely advertised awards have dubious backdrops. Projects are generally? not monitored and evaluated.? Terms like transparency and accountability were consciously erased from the lexicography of development and democratic debate.

Recruitment, promotion, retirements and reemployment across the departments were all done haphazardly disregarding? the rules and well established norms. Scores of vigilance raids were done to harass those who stood for greater good. Baseless and fake cases were lodged in various courts. These cases were fought by the Government with the? meagre resources of the State. Defamatory and anonymous leaflets were distributed and highly demeaning campaigns were done through fake social media accounts right under the nose of the Government. It was a state of chaos and anarchy in the name of the slogans of peace and development.

Today on the pious and historic occasion of the 73rd Independence Day Celebrations, let me announce that :

i) Article 371f of the constitution that provides special privileges to Sikkim will be protected, conserved and consolidated by both the Government of India and the State.

We have received an assurance from the Union Home Minister in the matter on 6th of August 2019.

ii) People of Sikkim will now be free from fear, unlawful punishment, prosecutions, revenge, raids, harassments, fake cases and defamatory campaigns.

iii) Freedom envisioned by our freedom fighters and in our Constitution will now be available to all the people in Sikkim

iiii) Corruption will be uprooted for good. We shall bring institutions and laws that make Sikkim a zero corruption state. The Bhrastachar Mukt Bharat of our Prime Minister will be a reality? in Sikkim.

v) Transparency and accountability will be enjoyed in all the institutions, public utilities and development programmes.

vi) All the creative ideas and innovative activities will freely flourish and? bloom in the state? and

vii) All the state and national level institutions will be given freedom to functions as per their own norms, statutes and practices.

Our Government is committed to fulfil the rising aspirations of all segments of our people. In doing so, we need the people?s constant support and blessings. We also cherish? the support of the Government of India. And we seek assistance from international institutions like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency and other philanthropic organisations who are already key players in India?s development dynamics. Whatever we do we shall be bound by institutional norms, people?s wellbeing and national interest.

We have already announced a series of new development measures and institutional designs in the Budget presentation just two weeks back in Sikkim Legislative Assembly.

In addition to these announcements in the Budget 2019-2020 our main focus in the coming months and years will be on the following crucial issues.

i) National security and national interest. With three international borders around, Sikkim will continue to play a pivotal role in National Security Research and Preservation and also on ensuring non-traditional security safeguards in areas like human-environment ?water and energy security. We are soon going to start the national security curriculum in schools and universities that could be useful for all the 17 border states of India.

ii) Today, there are no firm and scientifically designed policies and strategies in any sector in Sikkim. The fall out has been very dangerous and the impact very deleterious like in Hydro power sector. Our Government is now appointing the at least 20, ?Chief Minister?s Task Force? to make firm policies and widely consulted strategies for crucial sectors like agriculture, education, health, employment, tourism, culture, water, environment, energy, youths, roads, industry and disasters.

iii) Institution building and establishment of new national and international institutions. In the Himalayan Conclave attended by the Chief Ministers of the Himalayan States held in Mussoorie on July 29,? 2019, we made the following demands before the Union Finance Minister, Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission and also the Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog.

a)? A state of the art Climate Change Research and Mitigation Centre for the entire Himalayan region.

b) Globalisation of Local project under which we plan to commercially establish horizontal and vertical integration of? the rich traditional medicinal systems of Sikkim and the North East region with the global market.

c)? Setting up a new National Importance Projects Fund (NIPF) aimed at making the entire Himalayan regions inter-connected, developed,? secured and integrated with the rest of India.

iv) As announced in our Budget for 2019-20, we are now committed to regulate the entire functioning of the pharmaceutical and other industries which have come up under various Industrial Promotion Scheme of the Governments of India and Sikkim. These regulations are mostly focused on generating revenues, employment and ensuring environmental safeguards. We would like to increasingly? ensure that the young Sikkimese also enter into the Class I and II jobs in these industries. We are keen to bring the investors from around the world in particular countries from South East Asia under our green economy development and Government of India North East Industrial Development Scheme 2018.

v) In order to effectively implement the very recent Act on Wages (Floor and Minimum) passed by both houses of Parliament for the well being of our workers in different factories and other professions, we shall soon design and implement a new policy.

vi) Our Government have noticed and realised that at least 50 percent of the Central Government schemes and other externally aided projects have not been brought to Sikkim, bureaucratic lethargy and more seriously, inability to prepare proper project documents. We would like to harness all these opportunities mainly to cater to the needs of employment.

vii) Our youth are very talented. They require up skilling? and right orientations. In order to give ample scope for employment abroad for the Sikkimese youth, we shall set up Foreign Workers Recruitment Institute in cooperation with various Foreign Embassies in India and other international job recruitment agencies. These youth will be given training in various professional areas. We shall endeavour to recruit :

a) 100? workers in South East Asia by 2026 including? Malaysia, Hongkong, Singapore and Thailand.

b) 100 workers in East Asia by 2026 including in Japan, China and Korea.

c) 100 workers in Middle East Asia by 2026 including, Qatar, Israel and United Arab Emirates.

d) 100 workers in North America by 2026 including? USA and Canada.

e) 100 workers in Europe by 2026 including in UK, Switzerland? and Italy

f) 150 workers in South West Pacific countries by 2026 including? Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Mauritius

g) 200 nurses and health workers in the ageing societies of Japan, Finland,? United States of America and Canada by 2025

viii) Zero Corruption goal requires single minded grit, modern technological interventions, intelligence and technical vigil, transparency and accountability norms and reform in moral and other attitudes. It is not a slogan. It is a mission which is going to be Herculean. We are therefore committed to set up an exclusive Agency with modern intelligence techniques, technology and human capability that will be exclusively devoted to Prevention and Eradication of Corruption in the State.

ix) Our debt burdens as revealed in the White Paper presented in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly in July 2019 are huge and unsustainable. If not managed effectively, these? burdens could thwart all the development projects. We are trying to seriously work out the ways and means to steadily reduce and wipe out these burdens.

x) We pledge to provide the most affordable and accessible health facilities to all segments. We are working out details on providing health insurance to various segments of the society.

xi) We are also examining the details of making our agriculture system including horticulture and floriculture highly remunerative and also attractive for income and employment generation.

xii) Our Government is keen to further strengthen the Panchayats and Municipalities in terms of administrative capabilities,? and revenue mobilisation.

xiii) We are firm now in restructuring the Departments and other governmental agencies with a view to make them people centric, focused, productive and efficient. There will be no duplicity in the allocation of functions like drinking water, roads, communication, etc. which are now done by several departments simultaneously.

xiv) We are committed to cut down all the unwanted spending and also prudently use the government funds.

xv) We are fully dedicated and geared to realize the goals of? seat reservation in Sikkim Legislative Assembly for the Limbu and Tamang Communities and also for bestowing Scheduled Tribe Status to the remaining? left out 11? Nepalese communities.

We also announce the setting up of :

i) An inter-disciplinary team of experts to write a full volume on Sikkim?s Contributions in India?s Freedom Struggle.

ii) An inter-disciplinary Climate Change Commission to work further on the issues of setting up of a state of the art Centre on Climate Change Studies for the entire Himalayan region.

iii) A? Youth Development Commission to examine all aspects of youth development including? educational, skill capacity, training? and employment aspects.

iv) Cultural Heritage Trust under which the sites of pilgrimage and worship and related lands and other tangible and intangible assets developed through the governmental funds in the last 25 years will now be brought to shape. This will be jointly managed by the Government, Civil Society and august religious bodies.

v) Project Development Agency that will search for various viable and potential projects across the sectors and develop projects for funding and implementation.

vi) Our government is also committed to look into the matter of temporary employees in regard to their rembursement and many other medical insurance and facilities. employees of all categories will be given maximum privileges, who were deprived of such medical facilities earlier.
We would once again like to thank the entire people of? Sikkim who have dedicated themselves to the building of ?Samridha and Sashakta Bharat'

Lastly, I once again congratulate you on this auspicious day.

Wishing you all the best for a happy and prosperous future.

Jai Hind
Jai Sikkim?