Seat reservation for Limboo and Tamang Communities by 2009

Ranka, Gangtok, Oct 14 (UNI) Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today reiterated that reservation of seats for the Limboo and Tamang Communities would be provided by 2009, before the next state assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the inauguration of a Block Development Centre here, Mr Chamling said the state government had already submitted a memorandum in this connection to the Centre and the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister had assured to provide seat reservation to the two communities by 2009.

Mr Chamling urged the leaders of the two communities not to be desperate and wait.

Replying to a question the Chief Minister lashed at the opposition parties for misleading the people by saying that reservation of seats could not be provided before 2026 till the next Delimitation Commission was set as the present had not mentioned anything about it in its final report.

The Chief Minister said the Delimitation Commission report and the Reservation of seats were two different issues and it was wrong to link the Delimitation Commission report with the reservation of seats.

The Chief Minister said the two communities had already been included in the ST list and they were entitled to reservation ofseats as per the law.

Mr Chamling said his government wanted to decentralise the power to empower the poorest of the poor, eliminate the rural urban barrier by providing all basic urban amenities in rural areas.

He said the opening up of Block Development Centres (BDC)was a step towards bridging the rural urban gap in income, economic progress, human development and check migration of people from rural to urban areas.

Mr Chamling hoped that the BDC would act as a link between the Grampanchayat, village and government, provide better accessibility and services to the rural people at their door steps.

So far the government had already set up 16 BDC all over the state and planned to set up three more in the next financial year.

The centres would act as the nodal agency for implementation of various programmes at the grassroot levels, he said besides performing the route administrative and magisterial duties.

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