Sikkim

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Sikkimese feel betrayed as Article 371F violated: SDF chief Chamling

SDF supremo Pawan Kumar Chamling claimed that the Sikkimese people feel betrayed as Article 371F, which guarantees special provisions for Sikkim, was violated. The former chief minister, in a telephonic interview with PTI, also alleged Sikkim had become a hotbed for political violence and sought President's rule to ensure a free and fair election in 2024. According to Article 371F, only the descendants of Sikkim subjects (those who lived in the state before its merger with India) whose names were mentioned in the 1961 register are Sikkimese with rights to own land, get state government jobs. They were also exempted from paying income tax. But now, the Financial Bill, 2023 redefines Sikkimese as any Indian citizen domiciled in Sikkim, extending to them the same benefits as that of the original inhabitants whose forefathers' names were in the 1961 register, Chamling said. This violates Article 371F, which was the basis for the merger of Sikkim with India in 1975. People of Sikkim fee

East Sikkim district 9th most vulnerable to landslides in India: Report

Sikkim's East District, which witnessed a massive avalanche that claimed several lives on Tuesday, ranks ninth in landslide density and risk exposure among all districts in the country. According to the Landslide Atlas of India, released by ISRO's Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre, Sikkim witnessed 1,561 landslides between 2011 and 2017, with most falling in the category of event-based landslides triggered by earthquakes or heavy rainfall. Sikkim's South District ranks eighth across the country in terms of landslide density and risk exposure. "Himalayas and Western Ghats are highly susceptible to mass movements due to hilly topography and heavy rainfall," the Landslide Atlas of India said. The findings emerged from the latest risk assessment done by scientists from NRSC, which published the list as part of the Landslide Atlas of India. The team released a list of 147 most landslide-vulnerable districts in 17 states and two Union Territories. The East District had been

7 tourists killed, 23 rescued in massive avalanche in Sikkim's Nathula

Six tourists were killed and 11 others injured in a major avalanche in Sikkim's Nathula area on Tuesday, police officials said here. The injured are being brought to the state capital Gangtok's hospital. "Rescue and clearance operations are still on," a senior police official here said. Nathula Pass is situated on the border with China and is a major tourist destination because of its scenic beauty.

Sikkim avalanche: Shah says govt closely monitoring, NDRF reaching spot

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday condoled the death of tourists in an avalanche in Sikkim and said the central government is closely monitoring the situation. At least seven tourists were killed as a massive avalanche hit Sikkim's Nathu La area on Tuesday morning, burying their vehicles under the snow. "My sincerest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic avalanche in Sikkim. We are closely monitoring the situation and the teams of NDRF will reach the affected area soon. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," Shah tweeted. The avalanche hit the arterial Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, which connects Gangtok to Nathu La at the China border around 11.30 am, trapping five-six vehicles with around 30 people under the snow, the Army said in a statement. Till 4 pm, seven bodies were brought out of the snow and 23 people were rescued alive, including six tourists from a deep valley, a state government official said, quoting reports from the

Aspirational population in Sikkim keen on innovation, digitisation: CM

Commerce and Industries MOS Som Prakash said there are more than 90,000 startups in India registered with DPIIT

Startup20 Engagement Group's second meeting on March 18-19 in Sikkim

The Finance Task Force of the Startup20 Engagement Group, which will meet this weekend in Sikkim, will aim to increase access to capital for startups by providing financing and investment platforms, according to an official statement. It further said the task force will also harmonise tax and legal regulations to encourage public investment in startup funding and interact with the foreign investor ecosystem of G20 nations. It will create pitching, capacity building and networking opportunities for startups with the global investor community through a best practices document on startup investments, the statement added. The second meeting of the Startup20 Engagement Group, newly formed under India's G20 Presidency, will take place in Gangtok, Sikkim on March 18 and 19, 2023. The Sikkim Sabha will forward the agenda finalised during the inception meeting held in Hyderabad on January 28-29, 2023, with the support of all attendee delegates. During the inception meeting, the objectives,

Army rescues over 1,000 stranded tourists in East Sikkim following snowfall

The Army has rescued more than 1,000 tourists, including women and children, who were stranded at Chhangu in the upper reaches of East Sikkim, following heavy snowfall, officals said. Severe snowfall in Natu La, Tsomgo (Chhangu) Lake and adjoining areas on Wednesday afternoon brought down the temperature to sub-zero levels and impacted the movement of travellers, they said. Due to the snow accumulation, driving became dangerous, resulting in over 1,000 tourists along with 200 vehicles getting stranded over a stretch of 15 km, they added. The Army personnel deployed in the area launched a rescue effort, and the tourists were shifted to safety following an over eight-hour operation, an official release said. "All the tourists were provided with accommodation, hot meals, warm clothing and critical medical support," it said.

Sikkim yet to utilise untapped hydropower potential, says CM Tamang

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Thursday said the Himalayan state till now has utilised only 27.5 per cent of its 8,000 MW power potential. He was speaking at the Business 20 (B20) conference organised as part of India's G20 presidency. " We have only utilised 2,200 MW till now and the scope for Hydropower, clean and green energy is ample in Sikkim, said the chief minister at the conference on Opportunities for multilateral business partnership in Tourism, Hospitality, pharmaceuticals, and organic farming. Urging the delegates to consider Sikkim as a good investment destination, Tamang said a total of 55 pharmaceutical companies from within the country are currently established in the state. Delegates from 24 countries will participate in the B20 conference being organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Tamang told a press conference on Wednesday. "Organic Tourism is what Sikkim can offer, we are the first organic state in the world and have been recogn

Ashwini Vaishnaw releases 'Go Green, Go Organic' cover for Sikkim

Taking to Twitter Vaishnaw said, "Special cover on 'Go Green, Go Organic' released for World's first organic state Sikkim

Sikkim CM extends Rs 20,000 annual aid to 14,000 non-working mothers

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Friday distributed cheques of Rs 20,000 each to 14,000 non-working mothers under the 'Aama Yojana'. The state government launched the scheme on August 15 last year for non-working mothers, and sanctioned Rs 100 crores for its implementation till 2023. The annual financial assistance is being extended so that women use the money to support the education of their children, invest in micro-income generating businesses, address immediate medical needs, renovate their houses or meet other unfulfilled obligations as they deem fit. The CM also gave away Rs 3 lakh each to 16 women for IVF treatment. Speaking on the occasion, Tamang said women were the foundation of the society and the amount was a token of love and respect for them. "Our government envisaged this scheme specifically for mothers because you know how to utilise and manage finances better. I am sure this annual financial assistance will go a long way in making your lives easier," he

Sebi imposes Rs 6 lakh penalty on MCX in data entry norms case

Capital markets regulator Sebi has imposed a penalty of Rs 6 lakh on Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) for flouting norms in a case pertaining to data entries of Sikkim-based clients. The matter relates to incorrect input of State code and City code as Sikkim by seven trading members of MCX in the UCC (Unique Client Code) database. In its order, Sebi found that MCX imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 per client on these trading members for wrong entries in June 2022. "The instant case pertains to incorrect input of State code and City code as Sikkim which does not cover under Material Discrepancies. Hence as per the ToR Member & Core SGF Committee (MCSGFC) is the authority to formulate policies for regulatory actions," Sebi said in its 58-page order on Tuesday. It means MCX was required to take it to the committee which is empowered to frame policy without imposing a penalty under material discrepancy. In its order, Sebi noted that MCX has not complied with certain clauses Term of ...

Create a roadmap to upscale organic farming in Sikkim: FM Sitharaman

To boost tourism, the state can take the initiative to call some of the tourism aggregators who facilitate homestays, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Senior BJP leader Lakshman Prasad Acharya takes oath as new Sikkim Guv

Senior BJP leader Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Thursday took oath as the new governor of Sikkim. He was administered the oath of office by Sikkim High Court Chief Justice Biswanath Somadder at a function in Raj Bhavan here. Acharya succeeds Ganga Prasad as the 15th governor of Sikkim. He hails from the tribal Kharwar community of Uttar Pradesh and was a BJP MLC. Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang along with his council of ministers, besides senior officials, were present at the function.

Earthquake of 4.3 magnitude hits Sikkim's Yuksom town on Monday: NCS

An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 on the Richter scale hit the Yuksom town of Sikkim on Monday early morning, National Center for Seismology informed.The earthquake took place at around 4.15 am at a depth of 10 kilometres from 70 km north-west of Yuksom."Earthquake of Magnitude:4.3, Occurred on 13-02-2023, 04:15:04 IST, Lat: 27.81 & Long: 87.71, Depth: 10 Km, Location: 70 km NW of Yuksom, Sikkim, India," the NCS informed in a tweet.Further details are awaited.

Prez appoints 6 new governors; former SC judge S Nazeer named for Andhra

Four BJP leaders and former Supreme Court judge S Adbul Nazeer, who was part of the Constitution bench that upheld the archaeological report on Ayodhya, were among six new faces appointed as governors on Sunday. According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique, the resignations of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh R K Mathur have been accepted. BJP leaders Lakshman Prasad Acharya, C P Radhakrishnan, Shiv Pratap Shukla and Gulab Chand Kataria, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan, were nominated as governors in Sikkim, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Assam respectively. Koshyari was replaced by Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais, while Mathur's place was given to Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Brig B D Mishra (retd). Retired Supreme Court judge Nazeer was appointed governor of Andhra Pradesh and Lt Gen K T Parnaik (retd) governor of Arunachal Pradesh.

Sikkim happy as SC removes people of foreign origin' reference from order

Citizens of Sikkim including Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and other political leaders on Wednesday expressed jubilation after the Supreme Court ordered the removal of reference to the Sikkimese-Nepalese as "people of foreign origin" from its January 13 verdict. The remark made by the apex court had sparked protests in the small northeastern state, with the formation of a Joint Action Council (JAC) by people from all sections of the society to carry out demonstrations seeking removal of the tag from the verdict on tax exemption in Sikkim. Tamang, who is also the chief of the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), state BJP president DR Thapa, opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and the JAC said they are happy with the development and thanked the Supreme Court. A bench of justices MR Shah and BV Nagarathna earlier in the day modified the verdict while hearing the Centre's plea along with petitions filed by Sikkim and private parties seeking modification of the remark. The ch

HM Shah assures delegation from Sikkim of intervention amid protests

Home Minister Amit Shah assured a delegation of BJP leaders from Sikkim on Sunday that the finance and home ministries will file a review plea before the Supreme Court to seek clarity on the term "Sikkimese" in line with constitutional provisions, official sources said. The assurance from Shah came amid protests in Sikkim over the Supreme Court observation referring to Sikkimese Nepalis as "immigrants" while extending income tax exemption to all old settlers of the state. Shah told the delegation that sentiments of the Sikkimese community are respected. "The people of Sikkim are an integral and essential part of India. And the constitutional provision for the people of Sikkim shall be protected," he told them, sources said. The delegation was led BJP state president D R Thapa and included members of the Joint Action Committee and the Sikkimey Nagarik Samaj. They apprised Shah about the issue of foreigners tag to Sikkimese of Nepali origin and distortion of the definition of ...

BJP appoints new Sikkim unit chief, after Chauhan quits citing indifference

The BJP on Saturday appointed D R Thapa as its Sikkim unit president, weeks after his predecessor D B Chauhan quit alleging "indifference" from the central leadership towards the state organisation. BJP national president J P Nadda also appointed N K Subba its legislative party leader and made D T Lepcha, an MLA, a "special invitee" to the national executive committee, a statement said. The BJP's move to put its house in order in Sikkim comes as the party gears up for polls in the northeastern state next year.

Sikkim to file review petition in SC for Sikkimese Nepali community: Tamang

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Monday said his government will file a review petition in the Supreme Court with a prayer for rectification of its "inadvertent mention of the Sikkimese Nepali community as foreigners" in an order two weeks ago. "Let me reiterate and reassure that no injustice will be meted out to anyone with regard to the inadvertent mention of Sikkimese Nepali Community as foreigners in the observation part and not in the judgment part of the verdict of Hon'ble Apex Court in the matter of income tax exemption for the old settlers of Sikkim," he said in a social media post. "I express my solidarity not only with Sikkimese Nepali Community but with all the communities of our dear state. We all are one, and will always remain united," Tamang said. The state government has already initiated steps for filing the review petition for addressing the concerns of the Sikkimese Nepali community, the chief minister said. Tamang said he has already spoken to Union La