Gangtok Doordarshan Kendra keeps distance from Sikkim

Gangtok, May 12: The 100-metre- tall tower of the Gangtok Doordarshan Kendra with misty clouds hovering over it is a feast for the eyes, but it stands out like a sore thumb as far as its services are concerned.


The Gangtok DD centre, though completed in 2004, has not been able to provide regular programmes like daily news bulletins catering to Sikkim.
Instead, the Gangtok centre airs only a half an hour round-up programme on Sikkim events three times every month and a 30-minute episode on agriculture in the state from Monday to Friday.
Apart from these programmes in Nepali, the centre is a mere transmission point to relay feeds of national DD channels.
On May 4, the lone Lok Sabha member from Sikkim, P.D. Rai of the SDF, wrote to information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni about the delay in the inauguration of the Gangtok DD centre.“It (Gangtok Doordarshan Kendra) was technically commissioned in 2004 but has never been formally inaugurated. The reason for this is that it has never been fully staffed and no programming initiated in a useful way. There is at this time wasteful expenditure on account of the assets so created but not put to use. The talent pool within Sikkim can be utilised in full together with the other North Eastern States,” said the MP in his letter.
Reminding Soni that the matter had been taken up with the Union government many times, Rai said the state government was willing to do the needful to make the DD centre fully operational.

“It may not be out of place to mention that this matter has been repeatedly taken up by our governor and chief minister. This impasse cannot be allowed to fester any longer. If there is any way in which the state government can help then it would be our pleasure to do the needful,” said the MP.
Rai is a member on the Parliamentary Standing Committee on information technology, which looks into the demands of grants of the ministries of information technology and information and broadcasting.
The BJP that has been staging dharnas in the state capital demanding the inauguration of the centre said Rs 9.88 crore had been spent to set up the facility.
The party has also submitted memorandums to the President, Vice-President and the Prime Minister demanding the inauguration of the facility.
“The centre was supposed to be inaugurated in 2002. There are 31 regular employees at the centre and around Rs 2 crore is spent annually on the salaries and maintenance cost,” said state BJP president Padam Chettri.

Sikkim for education policy reforms in state

Sikkim Education Minister N.K.Pradhan, Sikkim M.P. P.D.Rai, Sikkim Education Secretary Ravindra Telang, IAS announcing launch of "Educational Reform Renewal Mission-2010 " in an inter-active function held in Chintan Bhawan yesterday with Teachers, Heads of Schools, Retired  Govt. Officers,NGO's from all four districts of Sikkim.

Gangtok,October14: With the launching of the Education Reform Renewal Mission 2010 in a programme held today here at Chintan Bhawan, Sikkim has become the first State in India to start reformations in the education sector.


This, the department officials said, was taken up in view of the objective of the State Government in ushering in high quality education delivery system at every level.

On the occasion, workshop on education reformation was also organized by the State Human Resources and Development Department, which were attended by MP, Lok Sabha PD Rai as the chief guest. Also present were the HRDD Minister, NK Pradhan, Secretary, R Telang, Principals, teachers, retired teachers and representatives from NGOs from all over Sikkim.

“The mission aims in drafting a new education policy with high quality education deliverance that can be visible in the government schools of Sikkim changing the old bygone perception that existed in the sector and making such changes which can be felt by the students and guardians alike followed by the society in general,” the HRDD minister said in his inaugural address.

“The workshop will formulate the government’s new policy on education and will be completely with indigenous effort and collective ideas as to reformation and renewal of education of the state so as to improve and bring about reform in education as well,” Mr. Pradhan said.

Stating that the teaching profession in Sikkim has always been looked down by the people and does not want to join in this profession, the Minister said that the increase of the salary by the government have made good brains think twice to join in the profession. “We hope that best teachers will now available in the State,” he said adding that the teachers seeking transfers on deputation to any other department will be not entertained.

The workshop will also have participants discuss upon the methods of transforming the existing delivery by holding consultation at various levels of teachers, principals, parents and other stake holders, the Minister further said.

R Telang, the Secretary of the department said the workshop will discuss over the things that blocked the free process of education system of the state and bring about the changes along with new fresh ideas into consideration so as to bring quality in education in the state.

He said that the reform will be brought from administrative aspects to academic reform in the state with collective effort including from parents.

To look into issues faced by the children, Mr. Telang said discussion will be conducted at the District levels and sub division levels by way of forming committees.

“Soon after the meetings with the stake holders in every district, probably by the end of the year, there would be over a final policy drafting which is hopefully expected to be implemented from February 2010,” the secretary said.

Later, addressing a press conference, the State HRDD Minister said, issues such as drop outs, enrollment, and capacity building of the teachers would be few of the areas to be addressed upon.

On his part, MP Lok Sabha said the mission has been robustly designed keeping the local need in mind in which the views and the opinions of almost 3,000 stake holders from all across the state would be taken up. “This method would enhance the education system to run as how the people want,” he added.

Interview with Sikkim MP P.D.Rai

Prem Das Rai is a member of the Lok Sabha with degrees from both the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Management. The articulate MP from Sikkim has a degree in chemical engineering from IIT-Kanpur and an MBA from the prestigious IIM-Ahmedabad.

Soon after graduating, he worked for Bank of America in Kolkata  before going back to Sikkim to join the government. He served as deputy chairman of the state planning commission and headed various organisations until he entered politics.

He spoke to A.Ganesh Nadar of Rediff  in a modest room at Sikkim House in New Delhi
What kind of reactions do you evoke in other MPs because of your IIT, IIM badge?

They treat me with a lot of respect. Many of them have told me that I speak well. There are not many IIT, IIM graduates in politics because the moment they graduate, they are sought out by the corporate world. They want to do other things or start their own businesses.

In the IITs and IIMs, you are not attuned to politics. How you go through a particular channel tunes you for your future, right? Essentially it is just that. I am one of those lucky ones who sought out politics as an eventual career option.

Is there a place for the highly qualified professional in politics?

I think so and there is a greater need for that now. I can assure you that if there were five of us in Parliament today with similar views we could make a lot more difference.

Don't you think the Northeast's representation in the Union ministry is very small, if you consider its large geographical area?

We have a Cabinet minister from Assam and two ministers of state from the region. It is not less, but the distribution could have been better. Both the MPs from Meghalaya are ministers. That's lopsided.

Why is there so little knowledge about the Northeast in the rest of India?

The Northeast is known as an insurgency prone area. The Naga issue, Bodo issue, ULFA issue, only these get media coverage.

The Northeast is the biodiversity saviour of the country. I had mentioned that in Parliament. Thirty to 40 per cent of the biodiversity of the country is housed in the Northeast.

It is the battery of India. Not only oil and gas but it has a hydroelectricity capacity of 70,000 MW. It has so much colour and diversity within itself. Those nuances have never been brought to the fore.

Do you think the lack of infrastructure is a reason for this lack of knowledge?

The government has always viewed the Northeast as a security issue. Now they have realised that it mustn't be only about security and it must get the full embracement of development.

Another aspect is that all the borders are closed. More than 4,000 kilometres of border area with Myanmar, Bangladesh and China is closed. There is no form of trade there.

Do you think the Northeast has been discriminated by the rest of the country?

I wouldn't say discrimination. I studied in Mussoorie, Kanpur and Ahmedabad [ Images ]. I was never made to feel that I am an outsider. In Parliament also I feel at home.

I have had the most wonderful school experience and college education.

The Northeast is said to have enough hydroelectric power for the entire country. Why has this not been developed?

It is a difficult proposition. You need the resources. There are land issues. There is a lot of geology involved. It has to be harmonious with nature. There are a host of issues.

There are a lot of people who are against dams. Not only large dams, there are people who will object to anything that you do.

It is a very complex process. We in Sikkim are facing that. We are seeing the problems and working on how we can tackle it.

The Government of India had never seen the potential earlier. Only in the last 10 years have they looked at it seriously. There is going to be a shortage of power and shortage of water. The Northeast is going to be the place to be in.

How would you tackle militancy in the Northeast?

I am from Sikkim, it's the most peaceful state. I don't have an answer. There is no easy answer. It is very complex. You must find where it comes from. The Government of India has tried almost everything.

Take Manipur, for instance. It needs a different treatment because it has a political dimension to it. It's not just a law and order problem. It's about a host of issues emanating from politics.

Manipur has people in the valley and people in the hills. People in the hills are sitting on 80 per cent of the land and they make just 20 per cent of the population. Can you imagine the imbalance? That itself is the fault line.

How do you solve that in a democratic way? In a democratic process?

The Nagas are indulging in violence and the government is countering it. To achieve peace this is not the way. So these are very complex problems. There are other issues like the Bodo problem.

All these issues come out of the feeling of marginalisation.

The Assamese have a different flavour to it. They have to be dealt with differently. If I had to do it? If I was given the task to do it? I would use a lot of social and political tools.

Naxalism is different from militancy. Even in Naxalism, the issues in one part of the country are not the same as the ones in a different part. I have heard it in Parliament -- 'This has worked in Andhra Pradesh and so it should be implemented in other states too.'

Mr P Chidambaram is a very senior person and also understands development. Perhaps he will look at the social processes. He is sinking his teeth into it. The steps he takes will be much better than what we have seen so far.

What is the Chinese threat on the ground?

In Sikkim there is no perceptible threat. We are on the Chinese border. There are occasional incursions. They come here. Our people go there. There is some bit of tension. That's a border issue.

India and China need to sort out the border issue. Today it's not about any country invading another country. Today it is about insurgency and counter insurgency.

You fight proxy wars within your country because it is fermented from somewhere else. The movement of information and money, all that effect is there. There is no threat of taking over the territory of another country. That's my personal view.

What are your plans for your constituency?

Education, power and water.

Photograph & Interview by: A Ganesh Nadar

Sikkim Journalists taught ways of ‘tracking the activities of MPs & MLAs’

GANGTOK, September 19: The Sikkim Legislators, albeit from a single party and no oppositions, should now get prepared and accountable to face a volley of ‘embarrassing’ questions from the Fourth Estate.
Journalists were today taught ways of ‘tracking the activities of MPs and MLAs’ by a New Delhi based NGO, PRS Legislative Research during a half-day workshop as part of its workshop series on ‘tracking the work of legislators’, which was held at the premises of the Press Club of Sikkim here.
Tonusree Basu and Chakshu Roy from the PRS Legislative Research gave tips on how to use the Parliament website effectively, especially tracking the details of the MPs as elaborate as the attendance of each MP in session, the funds allocated to them each year, utilization of those funds, amenities and salaries given to them and many more. This, the duo opined should also be introduced in State legislatures especially in a democratic set up like India.
During the workshop, journalists were also seen keen on tracking the website of the Election Commission of India, which detailed election affidavits, filed by MPs and MLAs. This site has details of the contesting MLAs/MP’s assets, liabilities and criminal cases. The website also enables one to see previous affidavits of the contesting candidates, if journalists or the public for that matter needs to do comparison of the particular MP’s or MLA’s assets. “If such sites are used regularly by the Press, then they can really get good stories,” it was informed.
Simultaneously, tips on the nuances of legislative reporting were brought to the fore along with questions chipped in by editors and senior journalists – the participants of the workshop.
Ms Basu on the other hand mentioned that legislative reporting would be much more accurate if websites on Parliament are followed accurately as it contains lot of information with regular updates. At the same time, this approach would help the people’s representatives become more accountable, she added.
Interestingly, the Parliament website also tracks the particular MP’s participation in debates and kinds of questions put up in the Parliament. Explaining this, certain examples were cited as how some journalists in other parts of India through the use of the Parliament website exposed misuse of MPLAD scheme in that particular MP’s constituency. It may be mentioned her that each MP is given Rs 2 crore annually to meet the demand of the general public for provision of certain basic facilities including community infrastructure.
While providing a lot of many other useful websites to the journalists, the PRS representatives also said that PRS website where various legislative activities like the list of bills introduced and CAG reports are available would also provide some backgrounder.
Apart from political websites, the Right to Information (RTI) Act was also discussed.
Earlier, Mr. Roy while highlighting the objective of the workshop said that such workshop has become important for journalists as the democratic society play the role of people’s voice and deliver messages to the people living in every nook and corner of the region. He said PRS Legislative Research is an independent project initiative that seeks to strengthen the legislative process by making it better informed, more transparent and participatory.
The workshop hosted by the Press Club of Sikkim had its president Parasmani Dangal shower praises on the initiative of the PRS Legislative Research. Expressing gratitude to Ms Basu and Mr. Roy for having shared a lot of legislative knowledge to the Sikkim journalists within a short time, Mr. Dangal said the workshop on the system of state assemblies and Parliament should be of at least 3-4 days. He also assured to make full use of the techniques learnt from the workshop.
The workshop had started with the welcome address delivered by PCS working president Amit Patro.

(Yishey D. in Sikkim Express)

Sikkim MP PD Rai in Parliament Standing Committee on IT

Gangtok,September 18: Congress MP Rao Inderjit Singh has become the chairman of the Standing Committee on Information Technology, which was constituted today by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.

The Committee looks after the issues of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The newly constituted committee has 17 members from Lok Sabha and nine members from Rajya Sabha.

The members from Lok Sabha include Abdul Rahman (DMK), Shivaji Adhalrao Patil (Shiv Sena), Rajendra Agrawal (BJP), Nikhil Kumar Choudhary (BJP), Milind Murli Deora (INC), Rajen Gohain (BJP), Mithlesh Kumar (Samajwadi Party), Inder Singh Namdhari (Independent), Prem Das Rai (Sikkim Democratic Front), Tathagata Satpathy (Biju Janta Dal).

Other Lok Sabha members part of this committee were Bhola Singh (BJP), Dhananjay Singh (BSP), Sushil Kumar Singh (Janata Dal United), C Sivasami (AIADMK), Dharmendra Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Darshana Vikram Jardosh (BJP), M Vijaya Shanthi (Telangana Rashtra Samithi