CHAMLING AS CM FOR THE FOURTH TERM

Chamling takes oath as CM for fourth consecutive term


GANGTOK 21 May 2009

A heady mix of old hands, young and fresh faces and women members featured in the 12 member new cabinet headed by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling who was sworn for the record fourth consecutive term today.

Mr. Chamling was sworn into office for the fourth consecutive term this morning by Governor Balmiki Prasad Singh at the Ashirbad bhavan at the Raj Bhavan complex here in the capital.
The Governor administrated the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Chamling as the Chief Minister of Sikkim. The Governor then administrated the oath of office and secrecy to the other 11 cabinet ministers individually.

The new cabinet of Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government was significant as none of the old cabinet members of the last term who were handed tickets and won were retained in Mr. Chamling’s new team.

The new cabinet has seen a total new team which included seven first timers. It follows the model of ‘five old and seven new faces, including two women’ of the Chief Minister but in a slightly different manner.

The difference is that barring the Chief Minister the rest of his 11 cabinet colleagues are either new or making a comeback after a rest.

“It is a hundred percent new cabinet”, said Mr. Chamling later in the evening during a press meet.

Mr. Chamling has retained home, finance, revenue and expenditure, Department of Personnel, Planning and economic reforms, North eastern council and other departments not specifically allocated to any other ministers.

Regarding his decision not to retain the power department which he had held in the previous term, the Chief Minister told SIKKIM EXPRESS that it was done so as he could not given proper time. “It was due to my busy schedule and I have handed the responsibility to a young minister (SG Lepcha). He is from North Sikkim and is well sensitized about the local issues”, he said.
Among the old hands Ran Bahadur Subba, the fourth term MLA who defeated Nar Bahadur Bhandari from Soreng-Chakung constituency in west Sikkim and was a MLA in the last term has been given a cabinet berth with the roads and bridges and labour department in his portfolio.
Thinley Tshering Bhutia also a fourth term SDF MLA from Kabi-Lungchok who was not in the cabinet last term but had previously served as minister has bounced back as the minister for water security and public health engineering and transport departments.

The Speaker of the last Assembly, DN Takarpa who is serving for the second term after winning from Rinchenpong constituency in west Sikkim this time has also been included in the cabinet. He has been handed health care, human security, family welfare, animal husbandry and law and parliamentary affairs departments.

DB Thapa, who was a cabinet minister in SDF’s first term but rested after that and given a ticket and won this time is the new urban development, food and civil supplies minister.
NK Pradhan who has won five consecutive terms but was never in the cabinet was finally rewarded for his perseverance. He has been given in-charge of human resource development, sports and youth affairs and information technology departments.

Next came the youth brigade.

Among these younger lot who were MLAs in the last two terms- Bhim Dhungel, Sonam Gyatso Lepcha and Dawcho Lepcha – have also been made cabinet ministers.
Mr. Dhungel has been handed with the tourism, forest and wildlife management and science and technology departments.

Dawcho Lepcha is the agriculture, food security, horticulture and cash crop and irrigation and flood control minister while Dzongu MLA Sonam Gyasto Lepcha has been handed the departments of energy and power, cultural affairs and heritage.

The rural development department and cooperation departments will be headed by CB Karki, another two term MLA.

Among the two women members who have been made ministers are Tilu Gurung and Neeru Sewa.

Mrs. Gurung has been made the buildings and housing minister and while Miss Sewa will look after commerce and industries, information and public relations, excise (Abkari), printing and stationeries departments.

At 32 years of age, Miss Sewa is the youngest in the Chamling cabinet.

In one of the first notifications of the new government, four newly elected MLAs were also accorded the rank of cabinet minister. They were BS Panth, Prem Singh Tamang, Chandra Maya Subba and LM Lepcha.

Mr. Panth was made the chairman of the Power Advisor Board while Mr. Tamang is the new chairman for Industries, Trade and Commerce Development Board. Similarly, Chandra Maya Subba is the new chairman of State Trading Corporation of Sikkim while LM Lepcha is the new chairman of State Bank of Sikkim and Sikkim State Cooperation Bank.

All the above four have been accorded the status of a cabinet minister.

Meanwhile as per a government notification, former rural development minister KN Rai has been made as the new political secretary to the Chief Minister. Former tourism minister Ram Bahadur Subba is now the legal advisor to the Chief Minister while former health minister Hissey Lachungpa is the political advisor. All three of them have been accorded the status of a cabinet minister.

Tumin Lingi MLA Ugen T Gyatso Bhutia was also appointed as the government chief whip and accorded the status of a cabinet minister.
Similarly, a Speaker Pro-tem will be appointed from the members of the Sikkim Legislative Assembly tomorrow. The Governor will be administrating the oath of office to the Speaker Pro-tem tomorrow at Raj Bhavan.

Mr. Chamling disclosed to SIKKIM EXPRESS on the sidelines of press briefing today evening that Menlom Lepcha will be sworn in as the Speaker Pro-tem tomorrow.

The first session of the Eighth Assembly will be held on May 22 where the Speaker Pro-tem will be administrating the oath to the newly elected MLAs. The MLAs then will elect their Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

Mr. Chamling informed that the Speaker to be elected is KT Gyalsten while the Deputy Speaker responsibility will be handed to MB Dahal.

Chief Minister Pawan Chamling

Home, Finance, Revenue and Expenditure, Development Planning, Economic Reforms and North East Council Affairs and other departments not specifically allotted to any other Minister.

Ran Bahadur Subba
Roads and Bridges, Labour

Thinlay Tshering Bhutia
Water Security and Public Health Engineering and Transport

Dawa Norbu Takarpa
Health Care, Human Service and Family Welfare, Animal Husbandry, Livestock, Fisheries and
Veterinary Services and Parliamentary Affairs

Narendra Kumar Pradhan
Human Resource Development, Sports and Youth Affairs and Information Technology

Dil Bahadur Thapa
Urban Development and Housing, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs

Sonam Gyatso Lepcha
Energy and Power, Cultural Affairs and Heritage

Chandra Bahadur Karki
Rural Management and Development, Cooperation

Dawcho Lepcha
Food Security and Agriculture Development and Horticulture & Cash Crops Development, Irrigation and Flood Control

Bhim Prasad Dungel
Tourism, Forest Environment and Wildlife Management, Mines, Minerals and Geology, Science and Technology

Tilu Gurung
Buildings and Housing

Neeru Sewa
Commerce and Industries, Information and Public Relations, Printing and Stationary, Excise (Abkari)

Chairman/Chairperson
BS Panth – Power Advisor Board (Cabinet rank)
PS Tamang – Industries, Trade and Commerce Development Board (Cabinet rank)
Chandra Maya Subba – State Trading Corporation of Sikkim (Cabinet rank)
LM Lepcha – State Bank of Sikkim and Sikkim State Cooperation Bank (Cabinet rank)
Am Prasad Sharma – Sikkim Distilleries
Tshering Wangdi Lepcha – SNT
Puran Gurung – Denzong Agriculture Cooperative Society
PL Subba – Agriculture/Horticulture board
Madan Cintury – Sikkim SC, ST and OBC Development Corporation
Tenzi Sherpa – Khadi and Village industries board
BB Rai – Sikkim Industrial Development and Investment Corporation
Sonam Gyasto Bhutia – Land Use and Environment Board
Phitook Tshering Bhutia – ST Welfare Board
Dorjee Namgyal Bhutia – Sikkim Consumer Cooperative Society

Advisors
Political Secretary to CM – KN Rai
Legal Advisor to CM – Ram Bahadur Subba
Political Advisor to CM – Hissey Lachungpa