Sikkim Assembly nod to 2 new districts

Gangtok: On the third and final day of the Fifth Session of the 10th Assembly, the Sikkim Legislative Assembly voted for the creation of 2 new districts of Pakyong and Soreng, carved out of the existing East and West Sikkim districts, respectively.

With this Sikkim now has six districts with the 4 previous districts also getting acnew nomenclature. The new names are Mangan (North Sikkim), Geyzing (West Sikkim), Gangtok (East Sikkim), and Namchi (South Sikkim).

During the discussion over the Sikkim (Re-Organization of Districts) Bill, 2021 (Bill No. 15 of 2021) moved by Land Revenue Minister Kunga Nima Lepcha for consideration, Namcheybung legislator Em Prasad Sharma extended gratitude for declaring Pakyong one of the two new districts.

Soreng-Chakhung legislator Aditya Golay also expressed gratitude for the district status to Soreng Sub-division, the functioning of which will provide easy access to district administration for the people from remote areas under constituencies covered by present Soreng Sub-division.

The new districts – Pakyang and Soreng – are now sub-divisions that will be carved out of East Sikkim and West Sikkim districts, respectively. The assembly passed the bill by voice vote following a brief discussion.

The House also passed an amendment bill seeking to rename Sikkim State University after Mt Kanchenjunga, considered the guardian deity of the Sikkimese people.

Lepcha, who also holds the education portfolio, tabled the Sikkim State University (Amendment) Bill, 2021, in the assembly on Tuesday.

Later, Speaker L B Das adjourned the House sine die after valedictory address of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang to mark the end of the three-day sitting of the assembly.

Speaking about the Sikkim (Re-Organization of Districts) Bill, 2021, Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay termed it “a historic Bill which will bring positive results in future, especially for people residing in far-flung areas”.

Replying to suggestions put forth by MLA D.T. Lepcha, Education Minister Kunga Nima Lepcha said, “The basic purpose of the new Sikkim Skill University is to equip students with quality skill education to prepare them for accessing employment opportunities in and outside the state. The setting up of the Skill University at Namthang Rateypani will not only open up access to higher education and opportunities for the people of the constituency but also help in boosting development activities in the area.”

CM Golay expressed happiness, claiming, “The Khangchendzonga State University, Sikkim, in due course of time, will move from the confines of Nar Bahadur Bhandari Degree College to a campus of its own at Temi Tarku in South Sikkim.”

On the Sikkim Skill University Bill, 2021, the Chief Minister said, “The new university will train the youth in specific skills, thus making them employable within and outside the state.”

He added that the university will be a boon for the people of Namthang Rateypani constituency.

Golay, also the Minister-in-Charge for Home Department, laid the copy of the Private Security Agencies (Private Security to Cash, Transportation Activities) Rules, 2020 & the Sikkim Private Security Agencies Rules, 2021 on the Table of the House.

Sikkim government proposes creation of two more districts