Sikkim to have Six Districts

BIJOY GURUNG

Bill placed for Pakyong & Soreng districts, existing four districts renamed
GANGTOK,: A bill to carve out two new districts of Pakyong and Soreng from the existing east and west districts was tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday.
Land Revenue minister K.N. Lepcha placed the Sikkim (Re-organisation of Districts) Bill 2021 that proposes to have a total of six districts in Sikkim with the upgradation of Pakyong and Soreng subdivisions as districts.
“A new district, namely, ‘Pakyong’ district, having its headquarters at Pakyong, shall be carved out from the existing East Sikkim district which shall comprise of the Revenue Circles falling under the existing Pakyong Sub-Division,” reads the bill.
Similarly, the new Soreng district having its headquarters at Soreng is to be carved out from the existing West Sikkim district and comprise of the revenue circles falling under existing Soreng subdivision.
The bill defines the boundaries of the existing four districts and the two new districts. It also renames the existing four districts of East Sikkim, West Sikkim, North Sikkim and South Sikkim as Gangtok, Gyalshing, Mangan and Namchi respectively.
“The present proposal for re-organisation of the existing districts from four districts to six districts, by carving out two new districts will further strengthen the governance and administration. With the growing population and aspirations, new challenges have emerged for better service delivery at the district level,” said Lepcha in his statement of objects and reasons.
The minister added that the re-organisation and addition of new districts has been done with the objective of ensuring administrative efficiency and public convenience and functioning of the district administration.
Lepcha, also the Education minister, placed a bill seeking to establish the Sikkim Skill University in the State. The proposed university will be headquartered at Namthang Rateypani, South Sikkim. It is proposed to be self-financing and shall not be entitled to receive any grant or other financial assistance from the State government.
The minister, in his statement of objects and reasons, mentioned that the National Education Policy 2020 aims to increase employability skills that the students must acquire during their academic programmes. In the absence of skill training however, it poses a formidable challenge for the State government to provide jobs to the graduates every year, he said.
At present there is only Sikkim Government Vocational College at Dentam in West Sikkim offering purely vocational courses along with the private Medhavi Skill University Sikkim.
“With the establishment of the new Sikkim Skill University which proposes to offer a variety of courses geared towards increasing the skill potential to the younger generation, students will not only be able to gain access to higher level of education but will attain proficiency in skill education which in turn will prove beneficial in tackling the unemployment situation,” said Lepcha.
“Moreover the university shall be located in Namthang Rateypani area which doesn’t have any higher educational institution at present and establishment of this university shall provide a major boost to the development efforts of the government in this area,” said Lepcha.
One amendment bill which proposes to rename the Sikkim State University as ‘Khangchendzonga State University, Sikkim’ was also placed in the Assembly.
Discussions and voting on the three bills would take place on Wednesday at the Assembly.