Friday, 01 July, 2005 Vol. 3 No. 361 Gangtok � Rs. 3

NOW!DAILYF i r s t W i t h T h e N e w s

1. BSNL Announces

INTERNET /GPRS /MMS

on PRE-PAID Mobile

Service Dial 9400024365

to activate an contact lo-

cal Customer Service

Centre for furthe details.

2. PLAN-99 service in land

line which offers free in-

coming call and out going

call by ITC Card only.Gangtok. 201455, 9832379202

ragtime by PANKAJ THAPA

Hotel Tibet will be extending a Special Discount of 20% on food anddrinks from 1st July to 6th July, 2005, coinciding with the 70th Birth-

day Celebration of H.H. The Dalai Lama on 6th July, 2005.Come, avail of this rare, exclusive offer.

HOTEL TIBET, PS Road, Gangtok-Sikkim

Phone: 03592-202523, 203468, 204962 Fax: 226233.

Email: htltibet@yahoo.com

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 30 June: Fol-lowing news of the AusAIDproject in Sikkim being ex-tended till 2006, Phillip MHHawes, project manager andcontract advisor, GangtokWater Supply and SanitationProject, AusAID, today wel-comed it as “great news”.

John Macarthy who hasrecently taken over as theHigh Commissioner of Aus-tralia, called on Chief Minis-ter Pawan Chamling thismorning in New Delhi to in-form the latter of the progressof the ongoing projects ofAusAID in Sikkim and that

the project was coming to anend in November 2005.

The Australian HighCommissioner enquired onthe sustainability of theprojects on its completion byAusAID by the State Govern-ment authorities, to which,the CM assured that thatmunicipal elections would beheld shortly and on comple-tion, the municipal authori-ties would be put in place tothe AusAID project. It was,therefore, felt that theAusAID project should becontinued till 2006.

While thanking the Aus-tralian High Commissioner forproviding assistance to the

may be extended. He, how-ever, admitted that, as ofnow, there were no directionsin this regard from the HighCommission and that work atthe Gangtok office was be-ing carried out as scheduledand that they were up-scal-ing their pilot projects.

“AusAID has its projecthere till November 2005 andthe project has not been in-fluenced as yet by the meet-ing; till there are any direc-tions from above, we shall goas planned. If there is an ex-tension, then we shall wel-come the decision but stillwon’t be delaying any of the

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 30 June: All theChief Ministers of the NorthEastern states and the ChiefMinister of Sikkim, PawanChamling, called on PrimeMinister Dr. Manmohan Singhon 28 June and urged him tomaintain status quo on fundingof Sarwa Shiksha Abhiyan at90 per cent central share. Thedelegation also apprised thePrime Minister of various de-velopmental activities takingplace in the North Eastern statesand Sikkim during the meet.

The decision to request thePrime Minister to withdraw thedecision of the Central Govern-ment to reduce the central sharefrom 90 per cent to 75 per centfor Sarwa Shiksha Abhiyan wastaken earlier during the day byall the Chief Ministers of theNorth Eastern states andSikkim who had met atNagaland House in New Delhito discuss matters relating todevelopment of the North East-ern states, including Sikkim.

The Chief Ministerspresent during the meetingmade a joint effort to high-

light the difficulties faced bythe people of the region. TheChief Ministers took thisunusual step in view of thelocational disadvantagesfaced by the North Easternstates and Sikkim to be ap-preciated by the Governmentof India and thus seekingcontinued central support forsustaining development.

Later, Mr. Chamling alsocalled on Union Minster forHRD, Arjun Singh, and dis-cussed various issues with re-gard to education in Sikkimand submitted a memorandumhighlighting the specific re-quirements of the State. Hebrought up the issue of settingup of a central university inSikkim, focusing on biotech-nology, environment relatedand Himalayan studies. TheChief Minister described theuniversity that would thuscome up as a “National asset”.

He also brought up the is-sue of shortage of lecturersand postgraduate teachersand called for an increase inthe number of teacherstrained by IGNOU each year.

South marshalsresources against

landslidesa NOW REPORT

NAMCHI, 30 June: With the onset of monsoons, the SouthDistrict is getting prepared to effectively handle natural calami-ties that accompany it. DC [South], Vishal Chauhan has issued adirective to all police officials, officers in charge of police sta-tions and out posts, officials and engineers in all departments toprepare a daily road condition report and to restore any road block-ages, etc., immediately. They have further been directed to in-form the District-Level Relief Committee of the same.

Similarly, meetings of other District departments, suchas Power, Irrigation, Forest, etc., were also called by Mr.Chauhan to discuss the measures to be adopted to handlethe natural calamities effectively. All necessary preparationshave been made to tackle the problems that might arise dueto the monsoons, it is learnt.

Kerala leastcorrupt state

in India:Survey

NEW DELHI, 30 June: Thehighly literate Kerala is theleast corrupt state in thecountry while Bihar is at thebottom of the list in globalcorruption watchdog Trans-parency International’s firststatewise survey of corrup-tion in Indian bureaucracy.Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat,Andhra Pradesh andMaharashtra follow Keralaas the least corrupt states ina list of 20 states surveyed byTransparency InternationalIndia.

Delhi comes 11th afterChhattisgarh [6th], Punjab[7th], West Bengal [8th],Orissa [9th] and UttarPradesh [10th]. Tamil Naduis placed 12th followed byHaryana, Jharkhand, Assamand Rajasthan. Karnataka isat an unenviable 17th posi-tion while Madhya Pradeshis 18th. Jammu and Kashmiris only behind Bihar.

The survey, conducted byTransparency InternationalIndia along with the Centrefor Media Studies [CMS] in356 villages spread across151 districts in 20 states, re-veals that the common citi-zens pay bribes of Rs 21,068crore every year.

Of the 11 public servicesfocused in the survey, thepolice department comes outas the most corrupt with anoverwhelming 80 per cent ofthe respondents saying theyhad paid a bribe to registera case or take action in a reg-istered case.

In Kerala, all the 11 publicservices are ranked the leastcorrupt in the country. AssamPolice is the most corrupt inthe country, while the nationalcapital has the dubious distinc-tion of having the second mostcorrupt public distribution sys-tem after Bihar.

RANJIT SINGH

GANGTOK, 30 June: Thecase concerning the murder ofChattra Bahadur Chettri hasbeen given a fresh and intrigu-ing twist with the arrest of onemore person. What had beenperceived as an open and shutcase of a murder triggered bya property dispute betweenbrothers and with the killersurrendering himself is nowsuspected by the cops as hav-ing been pre-planned and wellthought out.

SAGAR CHHETRI

GANGTOK, 30 June: Starfootballer, Baichung Bhutia,today reiterated his commit-ment to herald true “club cul-ture” in Sikkim with the an-nouncement that UnitedSikkim Sporting Club[USSC] was signing up newmembers. Baichung is thechief patron of the club.

“We want to encouragegood upcoming local playersand help them get into goodclubs in the country; and wewant them to achieve this notthrough recommendation butby their sheer skills. For thisa good club culture is re-quired and we plan to deliveron this front,” said Baichungat a press briefing today.

Briefing the gathering onthe history of the club, its for-mation and its activities,Baichung, who himself hailsfrom a small village of

Chattra Bdr was allegedlykilled by his younger brotherGhanshyam Chettri over aproperty dispute on 26 June,2005, at Lower Sumin. Afterthe murder, Ghanshyam sur-rendered and submitted themurder weapon to the police.

However, on intense inter-rogation, several missing linkswere uncovered. The Singtampolice picked up GaneshChettri this morning after hewas named co-conspirator by

Ghanshyam. He further re-vealed that the murder hadbeen planned on 23 June andthe objective was to removeChattra as he was a potentialheir to their uncle’s property.

Suspicions that there mightbe more to this case werearoused as the murder tookplace in Ganesh’s, who alsohappens to be a relative, house.

During intial questioning,Ganesh had claimed that hehad no idea about the murder

in his house as he had beenout in the fields; however, thewife of the deceased revealedthat Ganesh had come to theirhouse that day and had had acup of tea with Chattra afterwhich they left together.

What made the policemore suspicious was the factthat Ganesh had sent his wifeand kid to the bustee that veryday for no apparent reason.

Breaking under interroga-tion, Ganesh revealed that he

had taken Chattra to his houseand on the way signalled toGhanshyam to follow. It hasbeen revealed that whileGhanshyam murdered hisbrother with a knife it wasGanesh who attacked Chattrawith an iron rod.

Ghanshyam also says thathe had been threatened byGanesh not to reveal his rolein the murder. He also saysthat he had had several argu-ments with his brother over

Lower Sumin murder grows more morbidONE MORE ARRESTED AS COPS LOOK AT PRE-PLANNED MURDER ANGLE

their uncle’s property andthat he too had been threat-ened by Chattra.

Ganesh, on his part, hopedto kill two birds with onestone and be the sole con-tender to the property.

It was only the intense in-terrogation by police teamcomprising of SDPO[Rangpo], Sonam GyatsoBhutia, PI Soloman Rai andSI Kushal Rai that the casewas cracked.

Tinkitam, announced that theclub will start its membershipdrive and provide coachingclasses to promising playersfrom the grassroots.

He further announced thatthose who sign up as USSCmembers to support the play-ers will be offered variousschemes like free entry toX’cape, free Hutch mobile con-nections etc., in the near future.

“Today’s programme is be-ing held to sign new membersand introduce players andmembers of USSC,” he added.

This was followed by dis-play of tracksuits of the clubby Health Minister cumUSSC president, HisseyLachungpa.

The Minister, in his ad-dress, said that the aim of theclub was to divert the youthfrom drugs and alcoholismand other anti-social activi-ties and channelise their en-ergy and talent in their right

direction.Stating that the year had

been declared as the YouthRevolutionary Year by theState Government, Mr.Lachungpa urged the youth totake advantage from this. Healso reminded the players thatthe Government had commit-ted itself to promote and de-velop sports in Sikkim and asa part of its scheme to achievethis objective, it has also re-served lucrative incentives forthose sportspersons who dowell at the national and inter-national level.

Supporting the ace football-er’s statement, the Minister saidthat players have to work hardand earn their merit to play athigher levels and not depend onany recommendation.

He also expressed his sad-ness that the level of footballin the State had gone down inthe recent years; in this regard,

Baichung launches his club’s membershipdrive, ties up with service providers to make

USSC members feel more special

turn to pg 3 Baichung makes a point while speaking to the press on 30 June.

XXXXXSBI

contact PT Bhutia 9434357921,

Chettri 94340 12824 or P Darnal

9434151288

SBI announces

Xpress Credit.

Personal Loans for net

monthly incomes of Rs.

2,500 onwards; 18-times the

salary; at 10.25% interest!

CREDITXXXXXpress

CM lobbies for extension of AusAID’s involvement inSikkim, Gangtok office thrilled with the prospect

Government of Sikkim, Mr.Chamling hoped that Australiawould continue to providesimilar assistance to Sikkim.

The High Commissionerwas accompanied by Dr.Andrew Adzic, head of Devel-opment Cooperation, AusAID;Peter Zoller, programme man-ager, AusAID; Pritam Kapur,team leader, and RameshSubramaniya, senior pro-gramme manager, AusAID.

Speaking to NOW!,Phillip MH Hawes said thatthis was a high-level talk be-tween the Australian Govern-ment and the Government ofSikkim and that there was apossibility that the project

983202253398323234019832074580

271167

TO BOOK AD-SPACEIN NOW! DIAL

sikkimnow@sify.com

today’s editionof NOW!

contains 8pages, including

4 pages of“Friday” a NOW!

WeekendReading

turn to pg 3

NE CMs join forces to lobbyfor continued Central

support for SarvaShiksha Abhiyan

CHAMLING BRIEFS ARJUN SINGH ON SIKKIM-SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL LOGJAMS

turn to pg 3

2; NOW!; 01 July, 2005

NOW!F i r s t W i t h T h e N e w s

ED-SPACE �

0%

DOW

N

PAYM

ENT

EASY F

INANCE

INSTANT

DELIV

ERY

Any ModelAny Brand

MOBILE PHONES IN EASY INSTALMENTS!!!

Schemejointly with:

CITIZENS’ URBANCO-OPERATIVE BANK LTD.

NAM NANG, GANGTOK

attractive

BonusSchemes

alongwith

F

inance

SCHEME OPEN FOR GOVT. EMPLOYEES, ENTREPRENEURS & INDIVIDUALS

Avail:- HUTCH Post Paid Connection

� Widest Network (East/South/West Sikkim)

� GPRS & MMS Available

� Edge coming soon

� CUG Available (30 Paise per minute)

� Download Ringtones / Pictures/ Softwares

� Internet Access

� Live Demo

� CUG (Call us for details, suitable for organizations)

Any ModelAny Brand

* Condition apply

For details contact: Internet Point, Yama House, M.G. Marg, Gangtok. Ph: 9733015217/9832344244/ 9832344666/ 9932480022/ 9434127483/ 9832093603Also looking for fresh Graduates for Direct

Marketing

RAJDHANIMAX TEMP: 21.6 Degree CelsiusMIN TEMP: 18.3 Degree Celsius

WEATHER GANGTOK & SURROUNDING AREASRainfall: 5.9 mm

Relative humidity: 91%

EXTERNALAFFAIRS

NEPAL

AUTHORISED DEALER:-

RAJEEV DISTRIBUTORS(TITAN SHOWROOM)

Opp. Hotel Tashi Delek, New Market, Gangtok

In MemoriamThe life you lived

the path you blazed

the struggle you survived

the challenge you met

the rhythm of your hard work

the music of your patience

will always keep us inspiring

to live in the presence...

We Miss You!!

FIRST ANNUAL PRAYER of late Jagdish Prasad Agarwal who left his heav-enly abode on 1st July 2004, falls on 5th July 2005. All relatives & well wishersare cordially requested to join us in offering prayers at our residence Opp. IPRDepartment, Tibet Road, Gangtok.

Gigi Devi [wife],

Amar Agarwal, Anil Singhal, Sunil Singhal [sons]

& staff of Curtina & Quick Bite, Gangtok

Jagdish Prasad Agarwal

[1939 - 2004]

AJAYA BHADRA KHANAL

In the aftermath of KingGyanendra’s takeover ofthe Nepali state, major

political parties are stillstanding by their previousstands. For Nepali Congress(NC) president G P Koirala,a return to democracy meansrestoration of the parliamentand for the Communist Partyof Nepal (UML), restorationof democracy means a multi-party alliance running thegovernment. Both the NCand the CPN-UML empha-size a return to the statusquo—that existed before thedissolution of the parliamentthree years ago—rather thana progressive move to a newdemocratic state. In order toresolve the Maoist conflict,political leaders should stoparguing for a return to the sta-tus quo and provide blue-prints for a new future. Thismeans that political partiesmust transform the people’sidentity from mere subjectsof the monarchy and thepower center in Kathmanduto their identity as collectiveagents of their own destiny.In other words, political par-ties must announce a projectof greater democracy andcollective agency. The politi-cal structure even before Oc-tober 2002 did not have ad-equate political frameworksto guarantee full democraticrights. Only a new projectidentity can have the abilityto address the sources of

power from which the Mao-ist movement derives itsstrength. Consequently, onlya revived sense of collectiveidentity and public opinioncan force the Maoists and theKing to come to the table.That Nepal’s political struc-ture does not have adequatepolitical frameworks to guar-antee democracy has beenargued in many places. HereI would just like to point outtwo key features. First, de-spite the political changes inthe 1990s, the Constitutionstill providedample playingground for theKing who rep-resents a heav-ily-centralizedfeudal statewith a high degree of imbal-ance between the center andthe periphery. On top of that,the King continued to havecontrol over the military,sometimes clearly thwartingthe policies of a popularlyelected prime minister. Sec-ondly, the popularly electedpoliticians continued to rein-force the center-periphery re-lationship, providing greatpower to the center at the costof political agency of the peo-ple living in theperiphery.eed for a newproject identity becomesclear if we take a look at theMaoist movement’s sourcesof power. At present, theMaoists derive their strengthand legitimacy from four keysources: Maoist guerillas’

military force; a weak statewith a fragmented civil soci-ety; the durability of Maoistpolitical “culture”; and abroad-based popular support.The Maoist primary source ofpower is a rough-and-readyguerilla military force. Ac-cording to military analysts,the Maoists have about11,000 hardcore militia andother armed activists makingthe total number of Maoistrebels to about 35,000 as op-posed to a 78,000-strongstate army. However, the

Maoists’ realstrength is inthe durabilityof their cultureand their abil-ity to recruitnew volun-

teers. Compared to the statearmy, Maoist warriors appearto have greater mobility inthe mountains and forests.The Maoist guerilla threatcan be addressed militarilyonly when the Maoists areisolated: if the Maoists areunable to recruit new people;if they don’t have popularsupport; and if there is astrong civil society and a ro-bust state. The breakdown ofthe civil society means thatthere is also a breakdown ofthe state. As AntonioGramsci, a noted politicalthinker argues, a civil soci-ety has two sides. On the oneside, a civil society consistsof state apparatuses that ex-tend to the grassroots level.On the other side, state ap-

paratuses are deeply rootedamong the people. KingGyanendra’s emergency rule,however, has militarized thecountry and crumbled thedual facets of the civil soci-ety. It is only by constructinga new identity for them-selves, the people may beable to give a new life to thecivil society, and as a resultto the state. Another sourceof power is the Maoist move-ment’s ability to endure andeven expand what can becalled a Maoist “culture.”The Maoist movement hasthe ability to provide culturalmodels (partly ideological)for understanding and inter-preting the self and theworld. These cognitive mod-els not only define highergoals, they also help indi-viduals construct a strongsense of group identity. Suchgroup identity is meaningfulbecause it has strong linkswith the emotional and mo-tivational systems. Since it isbuilt upon a strong culturalsystem, the Maoist move-ment is able to reproduce it-self with ease. In order toaddress this cycle of culturalreproduction, the politicalparties must be able to coun-teract the cognitive, emo-tional and motivational ele-ments of the Maoist culture.For this, we should under-stand nuances of culturalpolitics and be able to pro-vide an alternative sense ofproject identity to the people.

Maoist movementand identity

turn to pg3

Iraq is both a tragedy anda mystery, since the nature of what is going on

in that country is obscure toIraqis and outsiders alike.The insurgency was born ofthe American invasion, but itis hard to determine which ofthree related developments -the US occupation, the trans-fer of power from Sunnis toShias, or the rise of funda-mentalism - is the most ba-sic cause. The most pertinentfacts about theinsurgency arethat it is a mi-nority move-ment in Iraq,since it is con-fined toSunnis, and yet it appeals tothe angry and disaffectedwithin the Arab world as awhole, where Sunnis are amajority. Minority status inIraq means the insurgency ischaracterised by a graveweakness, yet the ability todraw on the worldwide Sunnimajority gives it strength.This paradox is at the heartof the problem for the Iraqisthemselves, for the Arabs, forthe Americans, and for theBritish, pulled haplesslyalong as we are by our ally.

Vietnam is often men-tioned. If there have to be com-parisons, Malaya might be abetter one, although it was farless violent. But Vietnam isrelevant in the sense that, al-though no politician, official orsoldier would ever use thephrase “light at the end of thetunnel”, that is beginning to be

the message from Washington.Again and again the adminis-tration has proclaimed that thewar would be over once somenecessary stage was passed,whether it was the formationof a government, the draftingof a constitution or the com-pletion of some phase in thetraining of Iraqi forces. Yet thebombs keep on going off, themortars keep on coming in,and the bullets keep on find-ing their marks, often enough

in the bodies ofSunni moder-ates. NowGeorge Bushand his associ-ates are usingdifferent words,

long haul words, tunnel words.General John Abizaid, the UScommander in the MiddleEast, stated in congressionalevidence that the insurgencywas just as strong as it was sixmonths ago. A CIA report hassuggested that Iraq is traininga new generation of jihadists.And Donald Rumsfeld nowsays, with the assumed wis-dom that is his stock in tradeand without admitting for onemoment that he has ever saidanything different, that every-body knows that insurgenciesgo on for years. PresidentBush, making yet anotherspeech on Iraq yesterday, isemphasising the themes ofendurance and patience.

The politicians are doingthis, in part, because they see,in their collapsing poll ratings,daily evidence of the damage

The long andthe short

turn to pg4

EXTERNALAFFAIRS

IRAQ

Back BaichungBaichung Bhutia has reflected much glory onSikkim. Visit any part of the country and introduceyourself as a Sikkimese and the immediate reac-tion is, “Do you know Baichung?” Given how smallSikkim is, chances are that you would know theTinkitam Express. It is perhaps this immediacy tothe sporting icon who has single-handedly revivedsoccer’s fading spirits in India that Sikkim takesBaichung for granted.

No, the State is not dismissive of Baichung, farfrom it the State Government makes it a point tolavish Baichung with adulation every time it gets achance. The people adore him too. It is just that hisinitiatives don’t seem to excite enough people out-side the football circle. It needs to be borne in mindthat Baichung is one of the few Sikkimese whokeeps returning to Sikkim to help out in his ownway despite having made it big outside. There was,for example, no need for him to spend his holidaystrying to get United Sikkim Sport Club organizedand infuse some professionalism into the footballclub scene here. Yet he did and continues to doso. Sikkim follows football closely. The TRP ratingfor the soccer broadcasts on ESPN and Star Sportsmust be highest in Sikkim and yet soccer contin-ues to get a general cold shoulder from those whocan make a difference.

This attitude defies logic. Sikkim has a star ofBaichung’s caliber to push its soccer aspirationswhich can then secure it better recognition in thecountry and abroad and yet no one seems to seizethe opportunity even though Baichung has madeseveral offers to back such moves. He is giving hishopes of triggering real club culture in Sikkim yetagain, let’s hope this time the response is moresupportive. The danger here is not that Sikkim willnever have a thriving club culture, the real dangeris that Baichung might give up in frustration andshift his ideas to areas where the audience is morereceptive. If that happens, we would have lost abrand ambassador who asks little in return anddelivers recognition that few others can match.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 30 June: Raidsconducted by the Sadar policelast night have landed themwith a rich haul of stolen prop-erty relating to different casesof burglary along with severalarrests. The police team led byOC Sadar, Palden Bhutia, andcomprising of PI TsheringSherpa and PI T. Gyatso alongwith SI Pravin raided twoplaces, at Burtuk, Kazi Roadand Panihouse and recoveredstolen property comprising ofthree 21 inch TV sets, two elec-tric fans, one CD and DVDplayer each along with severalother electronic gadgets andconsiderable length of wires.

Four people who have beenarrested are MohammedTinku, 20, and Shahnawaz, 22,both from Islampur, one RajKumar Shah and one ShankarKarmakar. The police further

Four arrested for stringof Gangtok burglaries

reveal that the arrested are alsoconnected with the burglariesinto the premises of the threelottery outlets in Gangtok fromwhere three TV sets were sto-len last week.

What got the police on thetrail of the above mentionedwas a complaint lodged by N.Shivkumar, AGM, NABARD,on 27 June that his 21 inch LGTV set had been stolen fromhis residence at Arithang.

The only clue the police hadwas what some local residentshad to say about seeing twounknown youth towing away aTV set and hopping into a taxivan. It was only yesterday thatpolice received information thatthe number of the taxi van wasSK-04-5243, which was finallyintercepted by the police atDeorali last evening.

The driver, Dipen Lama,was brought to the Sadar PSfor questioning during which

he revealed that on 27 Junetwo youth with physical fea-tures of plainspeople hadboarded his vehicle with a TVset and had got off at Burtuk.

An intensive search opera-tion was then launched in thearea which was supplementedby further source informationthat one Shankar Karmakar,

a welder by profession, hadpurchased the TV set.

On questioning, he re-vealed that he had bought theset from two boys residing inKazi Road and led the policeto their residence. He knewthem as they had worked un-der him before. Interestingly,Shankar had purchased a TV

set from the duo earlier also.The two, Mohammed Tinku

and Shahnawaz, were arrestedand during interrogation revealedthe involvement of one RajKumar Shah, a plumber residingin the Panihouse area. A raid inhis residence exposed a stolenTV set along with the electric fansand other gadgets; while RajKumar says he was sold the itemsthe other two say he is very mucha part of their gang.

Shanker Karmaker has beenarrested for being in possessionof stolen property while theother three have been bookedunder sections 454 [house-breaking] and 380 [burglaryfrom residence] of the IPC andwere produced before the mag-istrate for police remand.

The police have yet to getthe arrested to reveal theirother operations by whichthey came to be in possessionof the other gadgets.

01 July, 2005; NOW! 3

FOR

CONTACT:9832077601/203895

LIC HOUSING LOAN

LAND measuring 2500 sq. ft.at Development Area. Pleasecontact: 203819

Gypsy, Model: 1998 Colour:Blue\White Mileage: 51000 kmin excellent condition withstereo & company fitted A\C +heater. Owner driven only.Contact: 97330-77698.

BUILDING at Jalipool, nearDurga Mandir, L.L.H.P. Gate.Owner: Ganesh KumarSharma, Jalipool. Contact:[03592] 251319

60’ x 40’ SITE at prime loca-tion. Contact: 94341-88039

RESIDENTIAL & COMMER-CIAL LAND, flat, readymadebungalows, in-build houses,space for godown & shop inand around Siliguri. Pleasecontact: 98320-96039, 98320-71738, 98320-97296

FOR SALE

TO-LETTWO-ROOM APARTRMENTSwith kicthen and bathroom avail-able for rent at Flour Mill area,Gangtok. contact: 9832090377

AREA measuring 2700 sq.ft.for office/business purpose at5th Mile, road side. Contact:9434144090

GYPSY soft top, 1996 Modelin excellent running condition.Price: Rs. 99,000 [neogtiable].Contact: 9832348957,9832080788.

NOW! CLASSIFIEDS

WANTED IMMEDIATELYFRESH GRADUATES forDirect Marketing. Salary- Rs.1500/- + commission &incentives. Contact: SunilLama- 9832344666

CAREER in the field ofInsurance with TATA AIG Life.Age: 20-55 yrs. Minimumqualification HS. Contact:9434103429

PERMANENT JOBREQUIRED 10 energetic male/female candidates. Agebetween 18-35 years. Contactbefore 30 June 2005 to:Diamond Shogun Co., DPHRoad [Bhanu Gram], Gangtok-Sikkim.Ph. 9832379931

FULLY FURNISHED BUNGALOWAVAILABLE FOR RENT/LEASE

A 3-split level furnished Bungalow with four bedrooms,spacious dining room, kitchen and livingroom, separateservants quarter & large parking space, at Sichey (Be-low Tamang Gumpa) is availabe for rent/lease.Spread over a 52x50ft compound, the bungalow is taste-fully designed and guarantees privacy.Interested parties may call: 284308 for further details.

GYPSY hard top, 1995 Modelin excellent running condition.Price: Rs. 90,000 [neogtiable].Contact: 9434144090.

SITUATION VACANTREQUIRED energetic, inter-ested & future focused personto earn unlimited income & havea good life style. Opportunityopen for unemployed/house-wife or othe interested personsage 18 years & above full time/part time. For further details con-tact: R.K. Singh- 98320-77197

Kutse SheguThe 49th day Kutse Shegu of late Kiki Bhutia who left forher heavenly abode on 15 May 2005 falls on 2 July 2005.All family members, friends and well wishers are requestedto join us in offering prayers for the departed soul on thesaid date at our residence at Phatak, Bhojogari, EastSikkim, Gangtok. We also take this opportunity to thankall those who stood by us in our time of bereavement andregret our inability to do so individually.

Diki Bhutia,

Rickzing Bhutia-

98323-70035, 237371

SNOD Complex, DeoraliABACUS

VISIT THE

NEW

ADDIDAS

MEGA

STORE

STYLEHotel Golden PagodaMG Marg, Gangtok

Leo ( toys and gifts )

shifted to:

near Hotel Tashi Delek, New Market, Gangtok

Anthyesthi KriyaThe Anthyesthi Kriya of late Ram ChandraPrasad who left for his heavenly abode on24 June, 2005, falls on 5 July, 2005[Tuesday]. All family members, friends andwell wishers are requested to join us inoffering prayers for the departed soul on thesaid date at our residence at JewelleryShop, Ranipool Bazar, East Sikkim. We also take thisopportunity to thank all those who stood by us in our timeof bereavement and regret our inability to do so individually.

Radha Devi Prasad [wife],

Raj Kumar Prasad [son]- 94341-53020

LOSTOriginal ICSE- 2002 (IndexNo. P/1189032) & AISSCE-2004 (Roll No. 3217376)Marksheets in the name ofRajiv Sharma s/o. Thiru Pd.Sharma of Assangthang, SouthSikkim in between Namchi andGangtok. If found please con-tact: 03595- 263958

� NEWSSCAN

94343390539832369520983233204998323234019832080753

271167TO CONTACT NOW! DIAL

e-mail: sikkimnow@sify.com

RANK

MBBS IN CHINA

ADMISSION OPENDEGREE/DIPLOMA COURSES

SIKKIM MANIPALUNIVERSITY

BBA - BCA - BSC IT - MBA -

MCA - MSCIT

UNIVERSITY

CENTRE: 1760

All Classes conducted at:

SMART ACADEMYSyari Road, Deorali

Ph: 281043 / 280313

URGENT REQUIREMENTVACANCY: 20, Location-Namchi, Jorethang, Geyzing,Rongpo & Gangtok, Qualifi-cation- Min. 12 pass [male/fe-male], Job profile- InsuranceConsultant, Company profile-Sikkim biggest MNC with In-ternational presence, Futureprospect- Promotion as Man-ager depending on perform-ance, Interview Date- 2nd -4th July, Venue & Time- 10.30- 12.30 at Lamichaney Build-ing, Deorali, Gangtok (Opp.UTI ATM), beside KhadiBhavan. Come with 6 copiesP.P. photographs & originaldocuments.

Opp. H.P. Marda Clinic, Near Sakya

Jewellers, New Market, Gangtok,

Ph: 202238

GAUTAM MAFATLAL

H

CLOTHEIRS & TAILORSAT NEW ADDRESSAnother source of the Mao-

ist strength is supposed to bethe mythical popular support.At least until the late 1990s,the Maoists had widespreadpopular support in the ruralareas. In recent years, how-ever, the Maoists appear to beincreasingly depending onfear tactics to obtain people’ssupport. As the Maoist unitsgain more autonomy from thecentral command, they in-creasingly tend to stray awayfrom their official policies.Given these factors, only anew sense of project identityamong the Nepali people canaddress the sources that feedthe Maoist movement. TheMaoist leaders do seem tounderstand the impossibilityof their situation, and may be

willing to support a new po-litical project if it expressesthe popular will of the peo-ple. In the absence of aproject identity, the monar-chy may be just as good asthe political parties, at leastfor the majority of the peo-ple. It is precisely the absenceof such a project that hasforced second generationpoliticians and student lead-

ers to push for a republic orbecome attracted by the ide-als of the Maoist movement.But a sense of empowermentand a belief in a better futureare necessary if people are totake part in such a politicalproject.

[courtesy: TheKathmandu Post]

Maoist movement and identityContd from pg2

PURAN TAMANG

NAMCHI, 30 June: The re-ports of damages caused bylandslides in South Sikkimtriggered off by the heavy andincessant rainfall continue toflow in. According to late in-formation received here,landslides on 18 June atSokpay-Sumshi and its sur-rounding areas have dam-aged a number of kucchahouses as well as cardamomand paddy fields, besideskilling some livestock. Logbridges, water sources andminor irrigation channelshave also been swept awayby the force of the rainwater.

The total land damaged bythe landslides is estimated at

Southern skirmish withlandslides continues

45 hectares and RO[Ravangla] and other offi-cials, who had visited the siteearlier, distributed an ex-gra-tia payment of Rs. 18,000approximately among the af-fected people.

The affected areas werealso visited yesterday by Sec-retary, Land Revenue Depart-ment, KN Sharma, Addi-tional Secretary, TNDhakapa, DC [South], VishalChauhan, and other officials.

Kuber Nath Acharya,Panchayat vice-president ofPayong-Kaw, informs that af-fected people whose propertieswere left out from the damagereport earlier and hence hadnot received the relief fundwould be provided the same on

04 July at Ravangla.Meanwhile, Assistant En-

gineer, Rural ManagementDevelopment Department,and Divisional Engineer ofIrrigation Department havebeen directed to restore thedamaged water sources andirrigation channels immedi-ately, informed a senior offi-cial of South District.

Similarly, the heavy rainsearlier on 18 June have alsototally swept away a 120mm double pipeline supply-ing drinking water toaround 70 houses locatedaround Puray Khola.

A suspension bridge in thearea, which was being con-structed at a cost of Rs. 17lakh, was also completely

swept away by the rains thesame day. After the DC[South] visited the area yes-terday, a fund of Rs. 1 lakhwas sanctioned from the DC’sOffice to immediately startthe construction work, as it isthe only bridge that links thearea with other villages.

Meanwhile, the Namchi-Gangtok Road [via Kitam]and Namchi-Melli Roadwere also temporary blockedtoday morning after the trees,uprooted by last night’sheavy rainfall, fell acrossthese roads, blocking all ve-hicular traffic. However, bytoday afternoon, the roadswere open to traffic after theywere cleared by the villagersand district officials.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 30 June:Among the 18 memberselected to the reconstitutedExpert Committee on NorthEastern states for social,economic and political em-powerment of women inNorth Eastern states areManita Pradhan, chairper-son of Sikkim State Com-mission for Women, and

NE Expert committee for womenissues reconstituted

Deputy Secretary of the StateDepartment of Statistics andEconomics, OK Sonam whohas been reelected for a sec-ond term.

The two members fromSikkim will highlight State-specific problems related towomen in the committee.

The committee would beresponsible for makingpolicy recommendations fordevelopment and empower-

ment of women in the NorthEastern states and also sug-gest a strategy for imple-mentation of the same.

Dr. Girija Vyas, chairper-son of the National Commis-sion for Women, shall be theex-officio chairperson of theexpert committee, and thecommittee will be holding ameeting on 08 July with thenew chairperson.

SREI offers

to assist

development

in Sikkima NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 30 June:Hemant Kanoria, managingdirector, SREI InternationalLtd., called on Chief Minis-ter Pawan Chamling yester-day at Sikkim House, NewDelhi, and briefed him onthe various activities inwhich SREI Internationalcould assist the State Gov-ernment in its march to-wards rapid development.

SREI International’sstrengths, as stated by Mr.Kanoria, are in the develop-ment of airport, developmentof roads, development of citycentres, parking places andhydel power projects.

The Chief Minister ad-vised Mr. Kanoria to furnishhis proposals to the con-cerned heads of the depart-ments for proper examina-tion and consideration of theState Government, informsa press release issued todayby Pr. Secretary to the CM,RS Basnet.

works being carried out at themoment. In fact, we are car-rying out works as hard andas fast as we can. We, at themoment, are pushing all theworks till the end of Novem-ber,” he said.

In Sikkim, GWSSP hasbeen doing works related tomajor demonstrations on wa-ter and solid waste manage-ment. Some of the works be-ing carried out is related tosolid waste, school health and

a NOW REPORT

NAMCHI, 30 June: TheSikkim unit of CITU has de-manded the unconditional re-instatement of all 65 casualworkers dismissed fromSikkim Distilleries after theMinimum Wages Act was en-forced by the State Govern-ment for the private sector.

CITU General Secretary,Sikkim, Manoj Gupta, todayalleged that out of the 67casual workers, the manage-ment of Sikkim Distillerieshad expelled two workers ear-lier for which CITU had beendemanding unconditional re-instatement. Later, out of theremaining 65 workers, 63were again dismissed after themanagement held a meetingon 06 May, he added.

The reason cited by themanagement for its decisionwas that they were unable toprovide salary to all workersunder the revised MinimumWages Act, Mr. Gupta added.

“These workers have beenworking for Sikkim Distiller-ies for the past five to 18years,” the general secretaryclaimed, adding that theywould meet the Chief Min-ister after he returns fromNew Delhi and bring thematter to his notice.

Stating that CITU wascommitted to the cause of theworking class, Mr. Gupta saidthat declaration of the Mini-mum Wages Act by the StateGovernment was CITU’sgreatest achievement, as thedemand was first raised by it.

He also said that whileCITU would not tie up withthe opposition parties to gettheir voice heard, it wouldalso not hesitate to raise itsvoice against the Govern-ment if the working classwere denied of their rights.

Meanwhile, it also wel-comed the scrutiny of Sikkim

Subject Certificates and Cer-tificates of Identification be-ing conducted by the StateGovernment, saying it was inthe interest of the people ofSikkim. “CITU will alwayssupport the steps taken by theGovernment for the welfareof the people of Sikkim,” Mr.Gupta added.

He also said that after theenforcement of the MinimumWages Act, CITU’s next de-mand to the State Govern-ment would be the imple-mentation of Trade UnionAct in the State.

On the insider-outsiderissue, Mr. Gupta said thatsaid that it was an issue thatwas politically beneficial toa few. “No matter whostarted this issue or is per-petuating or supporting it,they are politically motivatedand working for their owninterest,” he added.

Minimum Wages,Minimum Strength

CITU WANTS SIKKIM DISTILLERIES TO

REINSTATE 67 CASUAL WORKERS

he opined that it might be dueto lack of a proper ground forthe players to practice.

“The club culture in theState should not be limited tofootball only; there is a need

for other promotion and devel-opment of other games too,”he said while expressing hishope that more clubs would beestablished here so there wasa healthy competition amongthem that would eventuallyresult in improvement in the

sanitation, improvement ofwater supply, institutional re-forms on different communitysectors, public sanitation,small grants scheme andbuilding and GIS for Gangtok.

“The extension will be ofgreat benefit for us and theSikkim Government as wecan help in formulating halfof the plan as to how the StateGovernment needs to con-tinue with the completedproject. The biggest benefitwould be that we can contrib-ute in helping the new GMCand provide assistance in sta-bilising the work we are do-ing. We can also assist theGovernment in any newdemonstration being under-taken related to the above

during 2006. This extensionwill also give us more timeto close of the project withmuch ease. But until the twogovernments decide on thismatter, we shall keep goingat our pace,” he said.

It was further learnt thaton 28 June, the GWSSP hadmet with the UD&HD andthe District Administrationon a new campaign called“Waste Segregation Cam-paign” that shall be launchedon 12 July. It was mentionedthat by mid-August all house-holds would be made awareon the practice of waste seg-regation at the household-level, which would greatlybenefit the problem of wastemanagement in the Capital.

He also urged the Govern-ment to increase the numberof seats reserved for coursesin Delhi University from 14to 40, to enable more youthto join B.Sc. and B.Com.studies in the nation’s capi-tal. The Chief Minister alsoreminded him that 50 percent of the grant for educat-ing disabled children was yetto be received.

The Union Minister as-sured the Chief Minister thatall these matters would besympathetically consideredso that the education scenario

Contd from pg 1

CM lobbies for extension of AusAID’s involvement inSikkim, Gangtok office thrilled with the prospect

skills of the local players.The programme was also

attended by MP [Lok Sabha’,Nakul Das Rai; Forest Min-ister, SB Subedi; members ofUSSC and Sikkim FootballAssociation [SFA], depart-mental officials and others.

Contd from pg 1

Baichung launches his club’smembership drive...

in the State improves, in-forms a press release issuedby the Office of the ResidentCommissioner, SikkimHouse, New Delhi.

Contd from pg 1

NE CMs join forces...983202253398323234019832074580

271167

TO BOOK AD-SPACEIN NOW! DIAL

sikkimnow@sify.com

4; NOW!; 01 July, 2005

9434339053

9832369520

9832332049

9832368930

9832046839

9832022355

271167TO CONTACT NOW! DIAL

THEFINALONE �

today in

History01st July

Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Baba Offset Press Works Pvt. Ltd., Tadong. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Now! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 271167 email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com; sikkimnow@sify.com

ARIES: You will be very busy.You will be in a position tomake a good investment. Fi-nancial position will be verygood. You will be successfulin all you do. Social status willbe maintained. You will receiveencouraging communication.TAURUS: You may go on along trip. Financial position willbe very good. Political life willbe very comfortable. You willfind improvement in your fi-nancial position. You may pur-chase a new vehicle. You mayacquire immovable property.GEMINI: Those looking for ajob will get a good offer. Thoseappearing for competitive ex-ams will enjoy easy success.Women will make costly pur-chases. Family life will be verycomfortable. Political life willbe very good.CANCER: You may get a jobopportunity overseas. Finan-cial position will be very good.You may make household pur-chases. You will be invited toa party.LEO: You may take up busi-ness activities. Partnershipbusinesses will do well. Socialstatus will be good. You willenjoy good health. Litigation

will be postponed. Unneces-sary tension will be over.VIRGO: You will have no wor-ries and no strain. Businesswill be brisk. Life will be happyand harmonious. You may goon a long trip. Export busi-nesses will be very success-ful. Cash flow will very goodLIBRA: You will be very com-fortable. You may face a finan-cial crisis. Peace and prosper-ity will be maintained. Finan-cial position will be sound. Un-derstanding with your life part-

ner will be very good. Busi-ness will be brisk. You will earna good reputation.SCORPIO: You may go on along trip. You may receivehonour. You may be separatedfrom your life partner. You willobserve positive changes. Youwill be in a position to investwell. You will be able to cashin on old resources.SAGITTARIUS: You will besuccessful in all you do.

1867 CANADIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

The autonomous Dominion of Canada, a confederation ofNova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the future provincesof Ontario and Quebec, is officially recognized by Great

Britain with the passage of the British North America Act.During the 19th century, colonial dependence gave way to

increasing autonomy for a growing Canada. In 1841, Upperand Lower Canada- now known as Ontario and Quebec- weremade a single province by the Act of Union. In the 1860s, amovement for a greater Canadian federation grew out of theneed for a common defense, the desire for a national railroadsystem, and the necessity of finding a solution to the problemof French and British conflict. When the Maritime provinces,which sought union among themselves, called a conferencein 1864, delegates from the other provinces of Canada at-tended. Later in the year, another conference was held inQuebec, and in 1866 Canadian representatives traveled toLondon to meet with the British government.

On July 1, 1867, with passage of the British North AmericaAct, the Dominion of Canada was officially established as aself-governing entity within the British Empire. Two years later,Canada acquired the vast possessions of the Hudson’s BayCompany, and within a decade the provinces of Manitoba andPrince Edward Island had joined the Canadian federation.

1997 HONG KONG RETURNED TO CHINA

At midnight on July 1, 1997, Hong Kong reverts back toChinese rule in a ceremony attended by British PrimeMinister Tony Blair, Prince Charles of Wales, Chinese

President Jiang Zemin, and U.S. Secretary of State MadeleineAlbright. A few thousand Hong Kongers protested the turno-ver, which was otherwise celebratory and peaceful.

In 1839, Britain invaded China to crush opposition to its in-terference in the country’s economic, social, and political af-fairs. One of Britain’s first acts of the war was to occupy HongKong, a sparsely inhabited island off the coast of southeastChina. In 1841, China ceded the island to the British with thesigning of the Convention of Chuenpi, and in 1842 the Treaty ofNanking was signed, formally ending the First Opium War.

Britain’s new colony flourished as an East-West trading centerand as the commercial gateway and distribution center for south-ern China. In 1898, Britain was granted an additional 99 yearsof rule over Hong Kong under the Second Convention of Pe-king. In September 1984, after years of negotiations, the Britishand the Chinese signed a formal agreement approving the 1997turnover of the island in exchange for a Chinese pledge to pre-serve Hong Kong’s capitalist system. On July 1, 1997, HongKong was peaceably handed over to China in a ceremony at-tended by numerous Chinese, British, and international digni-taries. The chief executive under the new Hong Kong govern-ment, Tung Chee Hwa, formulated a policy based on the con-cept of “one country, two systems,” thus preserving Hong Kong’srole as a principal capitalist center in Asia.

Speculation will be profitable.You will be in a position totake a new decision regard-ing studies. You may start anew venture. Family life willbe very good. Litigation willbe in your favour. Prosperityis indicated. A change of en-vironment is likely.CAPRICORN: You may goon a long trip. Worries will beover. Financial position willbe very good. Prosperity isindicated. Understandingwith your life partner will bevery good.

available at:

KRISHNA COMPANYNew Market, Gangtok

New Arrivals

AT T E N T I O N ! ! !

The GENERAL BODY MEETING ofSIKKIM STATE CIVIL SERVICE OF-FICERS’ ASSOCIATION is being heldon 07 JULY 2005. All State Civil Serv-ice Officers are requested to attend themeeting at JANATA BHAWAN, DPHROAD, GANGTOK at 1 P.M.

sd/-D.R. KHAREL

PRESIDENTSSCSOA

Good news for the studentsThe Golden Circle gives you the opportunity to avail heavy discountsat numerous outlets in and around Gangtok.

HURRY!!! Get registered and be a part of the Circle.

NAME OF PARTNER OUTLETS OFFERING DISCOUNTS

1. THE SQUARE2. GLENARY’S THE BUZZ3. AGARWAL’S FAST FOOD4. STEP UP5. QUICK BITE6. BLUES NIGHT CLUB7. TIME OUT (PUB & DISCOTHEQUE)8. FUN KINGDOM KIDS ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE & RESTAU-

RANT9. STYLE10. FASHION ERA11. BASIC CLOTHES & SHOES12. THE SELECTIONS13. EAGLE TRADING COMPANY14. ARCHIES GALLERY15. EXPRESSIONS GIFT GALLERY16. TASHI MUSIC WORLD17. TASHI GIFT SHOP18. ZED CAREER ACADEMY19. CITI COMPUTERS & STG20. SSI EDUCATION (NAYUMA INFOSYS)21. YOURS COMPUTER22. MP’Z CAREER.COM23. STAR.COM (CYBER CAFE)24. INFOHUB CYBER CAFE25. INNOVATIONS (COMPUTER SALES & SERVICE)26. KOMPUTECH VISION (COMP. SALES, SERVICES &

VIDEOGRAPHY)27. B.P. CENTRE (MOBILE SALES & SERVICE)28. RAJDHANI COLOR LAB29. SIKKIM DRY CLEAN30. OBEROI’S BARBEQUE31. HOT STUFF32. ALPHABETS33. RACHNA34. OSWAL CORPORATION35. X’CAPE DISCOTHEQUE36. APTECH COMPUTER EDUCATION37. LITTLE ITALY

For more details, contact:Mr. Karma Wangchuk at 9832034606 or you can visit our office

at: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE, T.S. TOWER, ABOVE TITANSHOWROOM, NEW MARKET. PH: 201055

AQUARIUS: You may go ona religious trip. You will ob-serve improved potential andan inclination towards spiritu-ality. Students will perform asexpected. Long drawn litiga-tion will be in your favour.PISCES: There will be no ten-sions. Happiness will prevail.Peace and prosperity will bemaintained. Cash flow will bevery good. Long travel will bevery successful. You will havethe support of your superiorsand subordinates. Family lifewill be very good.

done by the easy promises ofthe past. What Mr Rumsfeldsays is nevertheless true. Mostinsurgencies are long lasting,and most are defeated in theend, if they are defeated, bylocal forces, though foreign-ers can help. But while theswitch to long haul rhetoric,and the efforts now going onto persuade some insurgentgroups to change sides, maybetter reflect the reality of theconflict, it will be hard to con-vince the American public.

The most difficult questionis whether the Iraqi peoplewould be best served by awithdrawal of foreign forcessoon, or by one at a much laterpoint when the insurgency hassupposedly been contained bythe Americans and well-trained Iraqi forces can takeover completely. A quickwithdrawal would almost cer-tainly lead to violence on ascale beyond that experiencedso far, with no guarantee of aresolution of the conflict, andwith other states possibly in-tervening once America wasgone. Yet staying the coursecould be as bloody, orbloodier, and the insurgency,many believe, thrives on theAmerican presence andwould diminish without it. MrBush, facing for the first timedemands from within his ownparty that he set a timetablefor withdrawal, told the Iraqiprime minister, Ibrahim al-Jafari, when he saw him lastweek, “You don’t have toworry about timetables.” Butyou do, and, for good or ill, itis the American people whomay set them.

[editorial featured inThe Guardian, London]

The long and the shortContd from pg2

PROGRAMMELISTINGS

Local cable T V listings,Nayuma programmes

NAYUMA SAMACHAReveryday at 8: am and 8: pm

DEMAND EXPRESS:Friday 8:30pm and Sunday

at 9:30 am

BHET GHAT: Saturday at7:00 pm, repeat on Wednes-

day at 8:30 pm

INDRENI: Saturday at 7:30pm, repeat on Thursday at

8:30 pm

SAPTHAYIK RASHIPHAL:Sunday at 9:00 am, repeat

on Monday at 7:30 pm

WEEKEND MOVIES:

FRIDAY.8:30am: Derailed10:30am: Aetbaar2:00pm: Qyamat5:00pm: Kya Yahi Pyar Hai9:00pm: Universal SoldiersReturn

SATURDAY8:30am: Rocky I10:30am: Abracadabra2:00pm: Fida5:00pm: Hulchul9:00pm: Rog

EVENTS:1 JULY: Offering of Tsog for

long life of the DalaiLama at GuruKumbum Lhakhang,Deorali.

4 JULY: Planting drive atbhola solsa,Chandmari.

6 JULY: Celebration of theDalai Lama’s birth-day accompanied bycultural show atbhola s o l s a ,Chandamri.

DEEPAK SHARMA

MANGAN, 30 June: De-partment of Animal Hus-bandry and Veterinary Serv-ices will soon be establish-ing 50 dairy centres in NorthSikkim. This was informedyesterday by the Joint Direc-tor [Dairy] of the department,BB Subba, here at Ringhemvillage during an awarenessprogramme for farmers onlivestock rearing.

The official also informedthat the department will beproviding milching cows tothe farmers for which theyhave to bear 50 per cent of thetotal cost; the remaining 50per cent will be borne by theGovernment. In this regard,the department has alreadybooked around 130 goodbreed milching cows and thefarmers can book the same oninstallment payment basis.

Apart from this, piglets andgoats can also be books by sub-mitting applications, he added.Two months old piglets arebeing provided by the depart-ment at Rs. 1000 per animal,whereas the market rate wasRs. 1200, he said while urg-ing the farmers of North Dis-trict to avail of such schemes.

Stressing on the need forseriousness among the farm-ers regarding cattle health,Joint Director, AH&VS, NT

50 dairy farms for NorthSikkim soon

Lepcha, said that they shouldprovide their domesticatedanimals modern medicaltreatment instead of trying totreat the animals themselveswith homemade medicines.

Similarly, Dr. KinzangChoki, CVO, informed thegathering of various types oflivestock diseases and infec-tions and their treatment. Cat-tle and milching cows af-fected by foot and mouth dis-ease should be given vaccineon time; domesticated ani-mals suffering from diarrhoeaand fever due to consumptionof infected fodder also needimmediate medical attention,she said. Further, in case ofdog bite, post-bite vaccinationhas to be provided immedi-

ately, Dr. Choki added.While informing the farm-

ers of the two types of feed,viz. maintenance and produc-tion ration, that should begiven to the animals, she alsosaid that breeding through ar-tificial insemination resultedin the improvement of breed.

SDM [North], PW Lepchawho was present as the chiefguest, said that since the de-mand for livestock was in-creasing and had ample mar-keting value, the farmerscould sell their animals atApna Mandi at Mangan,which is especially estab-lished for farmers and hencewas also tax free for them.

Pointing out that some of thefarmers from Ringhem village

who were supplying milk to thegovernment dairy dependedsolely on milk supply for theirlivelihood, PT Lepcha,Panchayat president, urged thedepartment to make the pay-ments on time so that these sup-pliers did not undergo hardships.

At present, Ringhem farm-ers are supplying 120 liters ofmilk per day to the dairy. Be-sides these farmers, people ofKalay village are also supply-ing milk to the chilling plantat Mangan, it was informed.

Towards the end of theprogramme, seedlings forfaccus and hybrid neparplants were distributed amongthe farmers by the chief guest;medicines for livestock werealso provided.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 30 June: NirmalChettri of Namchi Sports Hos-tel [NSH], under the Depart-ment of Sports and Youth Af-fairs, who was recently selectedto play for the National Under-16 football team, will now par-ticipate in the Asian FootballChampionship.

The venue and date forthe championship is yet tobe finalised.

Nirmal Chettri’s selectionfor the U-16 Indian footballteam comes after he and onemore player from NSH wereselected for the preliminarycoaching camp on the basis oftheir performance at the Sub-Junior National tournamentheld at Motihari, Bihar. The

Sikkim team had been sent bySikkim Football Association.

The first coaching camp washeld at Kolkata in the month ofMay whereas the second washeld at Bangalore in June.

Nirmal’s skills on the foot-ball field had first been spottedby the department in 1998 un-der its scheme ‘Search for MoreBhaichungs’.

“Namchi Sports Hostel wasstarted by the State Departmentof Sports and Youth Affairs withan aim to provide a platform tothe talented youth of Sikkim,especially those from rural area,and to hone their skills. Withour players getting selected forthe national team, we can sayfor sure that our efforts are bear-ing their fruit,” said Joint Di-rector of the department,

Namchi Sports Hostel’sNirmal Chettri to dribble

for India U-16

Karma Yougyal.Till date, this hostel has pro-

duced eight international play-ers, Mr. Yougyal added.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 30 June: DilliRam Dulal of Central Pendamhas been adjudged the winnerof the open story-writing com-petition organised by SamayDainik, a Gangtok-basedNepali daily. The contest hasbeen organised to commemo-rate the 191st birth anniversaryof renowned Nepali poet, AdiKavi Bhanu Bhakta Acharya,which falls on 13 July.

Altogether 16 entries werereceived by the organizers,among which, Mr. Dulal’s story,Blood Report, was adjudged thebest. This is the first competitionof its kind to be organised by apublishing house in the State.

Similarly, ThamanNaubag’s Mit Babu KoSanrakshanma bagged thesecond prize, followed byKrisha Janam’s Kina BanchanBairi Nari Narikai. Mr.Naubag is a resident of Aritar,Rhenock, while Ms. Janam is

Dulal’s Blood Report bags Samay

story-writing comptta second-year student ofNamchi Government College.

Parshu Dhakal of Lingmoo,South Sikkim [Chayalok MaMo], Kapilmani Adhikari ofRhenock [Mitrata] andBalaram Dahal of Namthang,South Sikkim [Adhuro SahityikYatra], were adjudged the win-ners of consolation prizes.

A press release issued todayby Parasmani Dangal, manager,Samay Dainik, informs that thewinners will be handed over theprizes during the Bhanu Jayantifunction to be held at TNAAuditorium on 13 July.

The first prize winner willreceive an award of Rs. 4,500worth of books whereas second,third and consolations prizewinners will receive books val-ued at Rs. 2,500, Rs. 1,500 andRs. 1,000 respectively.

The judges of this compe-tition were renowned critic andpoet, Dr. Rajendra Bhandari,and famous storywriter andpoet, Pravin Rai Jumeli.