Chamling pledges to develop rural Sikkim
Gangtok: Former Chief Minister Pawan Chamling on Monday held SDF election campaign meetings in Rinchenpong and Gyalshing-Baranyak constituencies to convey the party’s schemes and programs to the people there ahead of Sikkim elections 2024.
Addressing meetings there, Chamling promised development in villages by spending 70 per cent of the state budget for rural Sikkim along with several schemes to promote agriculture if the SDF comes to power.
Prominent among his announcements were free terraced land of agricultural fields of villagers and an annual grant of Rs. Rs 60,000 to farmers for agricultural activities.
“Our SDF government will develop villages for the upliftment of the rural population by allocating 70 per cent of the state budget for rural Sikkim. We will terrace all the agricultural lands of the villagers – they will get the double benefit of contract work and their land being terraced. As before, we will provide farmers with free seeds, organic fertilizers and agricultural inputs as well as subsidized or free animal seeds. We will also give Rs. Farmers get Rs 60,000 annually for agricultural activities,” Chamling said.
The SDF president told the gathering that the party has several programs for rural Sikkim aimed at increasing the income of villagers and farmers. “In our times, money used to come to the villages which has not happened under this present government. After our government comes, we will spend 70 percent of the state budget in villages like before.
Speaking on Rinchenpong constituency, the SDF president announced to develop Rinchenpong as a major tourist destination by using tourism related projects and its natural beauty. Our objective is to develop and promote Rinchenpong as a major tourist destination like Pelling.
The SDF president also committed to establish an International Gurung Heritage and Cultural Center in Rinchenpong. The center will serve as a pilgrimage site for the Gurung community of the world, he said. He also promised to install a 100 feet high prayer tower for the Christian community in Rinchenpong.
Chamling, in his address, urged the voters of Rinchenpong constituency to extend their support to SDF candidate Norden Bhutia, whom he described as someone coming from the grassroots level and thus deeply aware of local issues and problems. . He also urged people to vote for SDF’s Lok Sabha candidate and two-time former MP PD Rai.
Candidates Norden Bhutia and PD Rai also addressed the Rinchenpong meeting.
After campaigning in Rinchenpong, Chamling arrived at Gyalshing-Baranyak to address a public meeting of the SDF at Boje Maidan. He told the gathering that the SDF has fielded Dr. Tika Nepal as per the demand of party workers and the people of Gyalshing-Baranyak, and expressed confidence that the SDF candidate will be victorious.
In his address, Chamling reiterated that the SDF will secure the Limbu-Tamang reserved assembly seats during the 2026 delimitations, and said that the Limbu-Tamang seats were supposed to be given by the Center before the 2019 elections, but were stopped due to alleged hurdles. and court cases by SKM officials. He also promised to address the demands and needs of the Gyalshing-Baranyak constituency.
The public meeting of Gyalshing-Baranyak was also addressed by SDF candidate Dr. Tika Nepal, Lok Sabha MP candidate PD Rai and others.
