SIKKIM: Migrants from Bihar deprived of central schemes in Sikkim

SIKKIM: Migrants from Bihar deprived of central schemes in Sikkim – BJM

November 3, 2009

FROM ZEENEWS.COM

Gangtok: In an embarrassment to the Pawan Kumar Chamling government, an apolitical body – Bihari Jagaran Manch (BJM) – on Tuesday alleged that members of the community have been deprived of the benefits of various central government schemes despite being bonafide residences of Sikkim for several decades.

“The central welfare schemes have not not been extended to over 40,000-strong Bihari migrants despite the fact that most of them have been settled here for many decades,” BJM President Swami Prasad told reporters here.

Alleging discrimination against the Bihari people in Sikkim, he said the state government authorities were not issuing trade licences to them for the purpose of engaging themselves in business activities for livelihood, he said.

The members of the Bihari communities have been made to run from one office to another to secure trade licences due to bureaucratic red-tappism with one department passing the buck on other for disposal of applications, the BJM President said.

While the Urban Development and Housing Development (UD&HD) authorities ask for residency certificate for issuance of trade licences to the migrant people, the local authorities were not issuing the document to the needy despite the fact that they have been issued voter identity cards and ration cards by the subordinate officials.

Prasad further alleged that the distress of the migrant people have been compounded further as the UD&HD authorities have taken away the licences of about 10,000 hawkers, mostly from Bihar, some months back for the purpose of verification but the papers were not being returned to enable them earn their livelihood.

Alleging the plight of the Bihari people have worsened over the years in Sikkim, the BJM President urged the Chamling government to take appropriate steps to enable the migrant people to lead a life of dignity.

The state government should also consider issuing the Sikkim Subject Certicate or the Certificate of Identification to the old settlers from the Bihari community who were living in the state by the cut off date of April 26, 1975, so that they can enjoy their socio-economic and political rights as much as the locals, he said.

On the demand for income tax exemption for the old settlers, Prasad said that it would be fair that the migrant people carrying relevant documents of their residency be considered for exemption as was the case with the indigenous people.

Prasad sought to give a clean chit to the Chief Minister for the plight of the migrant people and blamed the ‘influential bureaucracy’ in the state for the discrimination of the Bihari community.