TAX EXEMPTION TO BUSINESS COMMUNITIES PROMISED BY SDF CHIEF

JORETHANG :10th April 2009
Source:Sikkim Express)

The election trail of Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) party could not have a better opening as a regional party, Sikkim Progressive Party (SPP) joined the ruling party in totality during today’s inaugural election campaign of the SDF at Jorethang in South Sikkim.

SPP president Sher Hang Subba was inducted into the SDF party along with his 1100 supporters by the SDF president and Chief Minister Pawan Chamling who was kickstarting the SDF party’s election campaign from today.

Interestingly, Mr. Subba had as recently as on April 3 had announced several candidates including himself for the upcoming polls in the State.

The uniqueness of the SDF’s first election cry towards a record breaking fourth consecutive term was evident throughout the daylong session. Firstly, there were not much hullabaloo or people jostling for space in queues to receive the Chief Minister as he drove close to the podium in a private vehicle, a white SUV Toyato Prado with the SDF flag mounted atop the bonnet.

And, unlike his previous marathon speeches, the Chief Minister limited to speech to just 2 hours wrapping the Day One of the SDF’s election trail at around 3.30 pm giving ample time to the mammoth gathering from all parts of the State to reach their homes by the evening hours.

Chamling who was dressed in a casual beige jacket and was accompanied at the dais by the SDF Lok Sabha candidate PD Rai and was seated just 12 people on the dais including Speaker DN Takarpa, the SDF state level campaign committee chairman DD Bhutia, the other four members and the incumbent legislator from Jorethang, KN Rai.

All others including the new party candidates and the outgoing legislators were seated in an enclosure that had theatre style seating facing the dias.

Addressing the mammoth gathering of SDF workers at Jorethang ground, Mr. Chamling gave a detailed account of the developmental achievements of his SDF party for the past 3 terms in government while pledging to give continuity to the developmental activities in order to bring them to a logical conclusion.

“Quality education, tourism and health will be the key sectors which we will focus on after forming the next government. “It is our vow and commitment to continue the developmental works and programes being carried out by the party in the past 15 years and bring them to a logical end. Our politics just does not end with elections, fight it and win it but it is in fact a mission to reach our goals and targets”, said Mr. Chamling while presenting the party’s agendas and poll promises.

Mr. Chamling appealed the people to vote for SDF not for its face value but for the innumerable developmental activities that the SDF government has done in the past 15 years.

Most of Mr. Chamling’s address focused only on the SDF’s dreams for Sikkim Nirman and uplifting the poor people. “I can understand the pain and problems of my people”, he said.

As promised during the party’s election manifesto release occasion on April 4, the SDF chief did not indulge in any opposition battering but instead chose to highlight the SDF party policies and programmes for the Sikkimese people. However, he could not help himself in claiming that the opposition parties will not win even a single constituency in the upcoming elections in Sikkim.

Stating that his government wants to build a strong human resource in the State, Mr. Chamling promised to allocate 10 percent of the State’s annual budget for the human resource development programmes in Sikkim. Educated youths will be provided with various kinds of skill developmental programmes in the country and abroad, he said.

SDF government wants to make the youths only degree holders but will also empower them with skills, said Mr. Chamling.

The SDF president also promised to regularize all the ad-hoc teachers of the State while the entire Muster Roll employees will be regularized in their respective departments in the next SDF government.

The next SDF government will focus on institutionalizing quality education in the State and all the government education institutes as capable and good as public schools, said Mr. Chamling. He promised that the SDF government will provide 100 percent financial assistance to the students who gets admission in the top 20 universities of the world and also assured of all possible help for those students who want to take admission in the renowned schools, colleges and the universities of the country.

On the tourism sector, Mr. Chamling said that his next government will focus on promoting village tourism along with cultural and traditional tourism in Sikkim.

While reminding the Sikkimese people about the income tax exemption delivered by the SDF government, Mr. Chamling promised to deliver similar exemption to the business community of Sikkim in the next SDF government.