MANGAN: The Vice Chairman and members of the Institute for Transforming Sikkim (ITS) convened the first review-cum-coordination meeting with the District Collector and senior officers of the Mangan District Administration today.
The meeting saw the special presence of Zilla Adhyaksha Mangan, Kado Lepcha, and Zilla Upadhyaksha, Sonam Kipa Bhutia, along with the District Collector Anant Jain, SP Mangan Sonam Detchu Bhutia, ADM Pema Wangchen Namkarpa and heads of departments and officers of the district.
The Institute for Transforming Sikkim is a premier think tank established by the State Government, with the Chief Minister as its Chairman. It is mandated to work with experts, policymakers and stakeholders to promote evidence-based decision making, innovative planning and effective implementation of development policies. The ITS is chaired by the Chief Minister, with Chandra Prakash Sharma as Vice Chairman, and Namrata Thapa, Ganga Devi Pradhan, Dr Sangay Dorjee Bhutia, Dr Bharat Chandra Basistha, James Saring Lepcha and Dr Neeraj Adhikari as members, and secretary, Planning and Development Department as the Member Secretary.
The meeting began with the offering of traditional khada and flower pots to the Vice Chairman and members of the ITS and dignitaries, followed by the welcome address by District Collector Mangan, Anant Jain.
Member ITS, Ms Namrata Thapa, in her introductory address, outlined the objectives of the institution in ensuring holistic development by identifying key growth drivers with proper planning, in harmony with Sustainable Development Goals. She stressed that the process of planning should be bottom up and inclusive. Acknowledging the role of the district administration in ensuring timely mitigation of road connectivity issues, she requested for bi-monthly report of road connectivity to be submitted to ITS. In conclusion, she called for collaborative efforts for charting a course towards transforming Sikkim in line with the vision of the Government.
A brief profile of the ITS was presented by Sector Expert, Planning and Development Department, Roshan Kafley.
Thereafter, District Collector Mangan, Anant Jain, presented the district profile, highlighting key achievements and the future roadmap.
SDM (HQ) Mangan, Sandeep Kumar, made a presentation on the implementation of the Vibrant Village Programme and initiatives under Sikkim Inspires in the district.
This was followed by presentations from various departments on the status of ongoing infrastructure projects, including issues and challenges faced.
During each presentation, the officers of the line departments responded to the queries put forth by the Vice Chairman and members of the ITS.
Zilla Adyaksha Kado Lepcha and Upadyaksha Sonam Kipa Bhutia also put forth their observations and questions during the departmental presentations.
Likewise, Member, ITS, Dr Neeraj Adhikari also placed his queries on issues concerning infrastructure development in the district especially in the education sector.
Member ITS, Dr Bharat Chandra Basistha, while sharing his observations, suggested that departments submit detailed reports with geo-tagged coloured photographs, and emphasised that the ecological balance must be safeguarded while planning and implementing projects. He advised that survey reports should be completed before initiating any project and further suggested that SHGs could benefit from FPO tags for better marketing of their products.
Vice Chairman ITS, Chandra Prakash Sharma, in his address, stressed that the Institution’s role is not only to enquire but to provide support. He urged departments to register government lands and complete mutation processes. He also underlined the importance of considering time and cost factors before the initiation of any project, and encouraged departments to ensure that schemes and initiatives of the State and Central Government reach the intended beneficiaries. The Vice Chairman shared that the ITS began its first series of meetings from the districts to better understand the issues at the grass root level.
He laid emphasis on the need to assess the impact of the incentive schemes of the government in the agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and dairy sectors. He urged the concerned departments to understand if these schemes have improved the production and productivity and the overall economy of the stakeholders. He questioned if these schemes have made a start towards being self-sufficient in various products, and reduced the dependency on the outside market.
In the same context, he questioned whether we have taken steps to prepare skilled manpower within the State.
While concluding his address, the Vice Chairman thanked the District Collector and the officers of the district for their valuable participation in the meeting.
During the meeting it was discussed that future initiatives must be need-based rather than demand-driven. It was underlined that, given the environmental challenges, charting a sustainable course for Sikkim’s transformation will require cooperation at every level.
The meeting was conducted by BDO Mangan Kailash Thapa.
The meeting concluded with a word of thanks offered by ADM Mangan Pema Wangchen Namkarpa.
- IPR Report
