NGOs have a vital role in society

Gangtok,Nov16: Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK), East District, celebrated 120th Birth Anniversary of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru along with NYK’s Annual Youth Convention at Saint Paul Church, 6th Mile, Tadong on November 14. Dr. AB Karki, Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), East District, Dr. Durga Pradhan, Principal Scientist, Ms. Aishwarya Singh, Additional Collector, East, District, Youth Convener (NYK) Mr. Puran Chettri and Mr. Raju Rai, Zilla Panchayat Ranka, were special guests on the occasion.
Dr. Karki, in his address said, education is very important to develop a country. Youths should give top priority to education. Education tells a citizen about his responsibility. He also spoke of the role of NGOs in development of a country. “Government has given responsibility to social organizations like NYK to be a part in developmental process as Government alone cannot do everything”, he said adding, “social organizations have a vital role to perform”. He further said, every citizen should be responsible. Students should give top priority to their study which enables them to build a secure future. Dr. Durga Pradhan, Aishwarya Rai and Puran Chettri also spoke on the occasion.
Representatives from 18 Volunteer Organizations attended the programme. Mr. Mohan Dhakal of Perbing Pragati Sangh, Ranka, was awarded District Youth Award of the year, a cash amount of Rs.5,000. Himali Sangh, Lower Dalapchand, was given best social organization-2009 award of Rs.10,000. Sunakhari Sangh of Upper Dalapchand was given financial assistance of Rs.10,000. Eighteen social organizations participated in the function

Bhaichung donates Rs 50000 each to two NGOs in Sikkim

GANGTOK,Nov11: Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia has donated Rs 50,000 each to two Sikkim-based NGOs involved in various social activities for the
weaker sections in his home state.

Bhutia's friend duo Arjun Rai and Sherap Lepcha handed over the cheque to the NGOs - Mayalmu Sangh and Sikkim Human Development Foundation - at a function on Monday on the former's behalf.

Bhutia was born and brought up in Sikkim before he shifted base to Kolkata to pursue his football career.

The NGOs' representatives expressed their gratitude to the football star for his concerns towards the poor and downtrodden.

The ace footballer has given the financial assistance to the two NGOs from the prize money that he had earned from a reality show on a television channel earlier this year.

Bhutia had earlier made a contribution of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh for relief works to the people affected by Cyclone Aila and landslides in Darjeeling Hills.

All Sikkim Self Help Group Exhibition

Gangtok,October07 : Sikkim Rural Development Agency (SRDA) under the Rural Management and Development Department (RMDD), Govt. of Sikkim, has organized an Exhibition-cum-Sales of products by All Sikkim Self Help Group (SHG) which was inaugurated on Tuesday at old children park to continue till 15th October.
C B Karki, Minister RMDD was chief guest at the inauguration. Dorjee Namgyal, MLA, Gangtok, Phituk Tshering, Sangha MLA, former Minister Somnath Poudyal, Anil Ganerwala, Secretary, RMDD, among others, were present.
Total 42 stalls of handloom and handicraft, food, vegetable items from all over Sikkim are displaying their products. Mr. Karki said, the aim of the programme is to enable the local youth to be self sustained by giing them the idea of marketing the products. Since the formation of SDF government, emphasis is being given on facilities for the rural people, he said. “State government is giving capacity building training to all educated unemployed youth whereby number of SHGs has increased”, he said. He added, “The aim of the government is to develop the SHG from State level to National Level”. He urged the local youths “to fulfill the dream

Audits of Sikkim NGO's

State Govt to ask audit reports from 1843 NGOs registered in Sikkim
GANGTOK, August 25: Following the questions raised in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly during the recent budget session on the activities of NGOs in the State, the State Government is determined to weed out dubious and so-called NGOs from the list of 1843 registered NGOs.
For a small State like Sikkim with a population barely touching 6 lakhs, 1843 NGOs being registered means that there is an NGO for every 326 persons in Sikkim.
The figures of 1843 registered NGOs in Sikkim had been tabled by the concerned Minister in the Assembly. Question had also been asked over the quantum of fund received by each NGP from the State government, Centre and foreign donors.
Regarding this question, the Law department had replied that the quantum of fund received by each NGO the State, Centre, foreign nations and any other sources will be available only after submission of the annual/audit report by the associations as required under section 5 (I) of the Sikkim Regulation of Societies, Associations and Other Voluntary Organizations Act, 2008.
The Act had come into force on July, 2008 and has completed one year of its commencement and as per the sections of the Act, the associations are required to submit the annual audit report along with annual report of activities during the preceding year.
The field of activities of each NGO was supposed to be looked into by the State government after submission of the annual report by the associations.
Following up the assurances given in the Assembly, the Law department is set to formally issue a circular directing all the associations, organizations (government/non-governmental) managing committees, societies, samitis and clubs to submit their annual report/audit report as per the above Act.
The above bodies will also to be directed to renew their registration on expiry of a period of one year from the date of registration on payment of Rs. 500 on or before September 30 this year.
The payment of registration renewal by 1843 NGOs will mean revenue of Rs. 9.2 lakhs to the State exchequer.
Failure to renew will summarily attract penalties as per the Act.
This upcoming measure to rein in the mushrooming of NGOs is said to ensure credibility of the NGOs. Barring some, many NGOs have been just registered for sake of name and self-importance by the office bearers while other NGOs are interested only in funds.
Some NGOs have been propped up to secure projects from various donors including the State and Central governments. Some NGOs just exist on paper only, it is informed while many are defunct.
Study of annual report will help the State government to understand the source of funds among the NGOs and could assist the government to formulate more policies to stop the mushrooming of dubious NGOs, it is claimed.

human trafficking rising in Sikkim

Sikkim need to form a network to combat human trafficking

photo: Dr.Doma Bhutia


Gangtok:Reeling under armed conflict and poor socio-economic conditions, the Northeastern region has become a major transit route for trafficking of women and children, a premier NGO from the region said .
''The NE states were the only source of human trafficking but today it has become a destination and transit point due to the porous international border it shares with Bhutan, China, Burma and Bangladesh,'' said Romeo Myrchiang, project manager, of Impulse NGO Network in a state consultation meeting for prevention of child trafficking in Sikkim.
Mr Myrchiang attributed the rise in trafficking of women and children in the NE region to the poor economic conditions, armed conflict, lack of awareness and stronger governmental policies.
Apart from trafficking, children from NE are increasingly being used for smuggling drugs and arms, he said.
Presenting statistics of this growing trend, the project director said the traffickers were not prosecuted because there were no police complaints about the affected persons in the region.
He also urged for bringing the call centres and other such agencies under a government scanner as these agencies were proliferating human trafficking.
Sikkim police DIG Akshay Sachdeva said that there were no such organised networks that traffic women and child in Sikkim but added that it would be a delusion to say that it would not happen in future. He said that Sikkim police had been sensitised on a regular basis towards this issue and a stronger support from the society is needed.
Dr.Doma Bhutia, who is a member of Human Rights Network, Sikkim highlighted the threats and social misconceptions towards the human trafficking issue.
''Human trafficking has become the most lucrative and least risky crime today,'' she said