GANGTOK,: Chief Minister and SKM president PS Golay interacted with the college
students and first-time voters at Manan Kendra here in a programme organised by
SKM students wing on Sunday.
Addressing
the students, the Chief Minister recorded the importance of voting for electing
a government which can shape the future of a State and its youth. He also
presented a report card of the SKM government on education sector besides
extending all possible support to the students. We airlifted our students from
war-torn Ukraine and Manipur, and also extended financial support to our
students studying outside the State during the Covid pandemic and brought them
home safely, he said.
Golay said
the SKM has plans to secure the future of the students and youth of Sikkim so
that they get job placements after completing their education. We have
introduced Sikkim Inspires initiative with funds from the World Bank to skill
our youths and make them employable globally, he said.
Golay said
the students and women will be provided free transportation in SNT-run buses.
School and college students can take free rides in SNT buses after showing
their identity cards and this free service can be taken for all destinations,
he said. He committed to set up hostel facilities for students studying in
Namchi and Gangtok, and till the hostel facility comes up, the government will
extend rent support.
The SKM
president promised infrastructural boost for all the colleges in Sikkim while
the New Burtuk college is to be developed within Burtuk constituency. The SRCs
will receive annual grants of Rs. 10 lakh for organising various programmes in
their colleges, he said, while assuring laptops to the college students.
Post-election,
Sikkim will have its own medical college and all required approval from the
Centre has been received, informed Golay. He appealed to the students to go
through the SKM 2024 election manifesto and his nine guarantees.
SKM Lok
Sabha candidate Indra Hang Subba, also the SKM students wing chief coordinator,
expressed his gratitude to the students for their support to the SKM during the
2019 election. In 2019, we had sought
votes in name of ‘Parivartan’ and after five years of transforming Sikkim, we
are this time asking votes for building a ‘Sunaulo Sikkim, Samriddh Sikkim’, he
said.
Indra Hang
highlighted that under the SKM government, construction of the Sikkim Central
University’s permanent campus in Yangang is progressing well. The university’s
permanent campus would have been set up a long time ago but it was inordinately
due to the indifference of the previous government, he said.
Indra
Hang, also the sitting Lok Sabha MP, spoke about the thrust given by the SKM
government towards promoting reading, arts and literary pursuits in Sikkim,
especially among the students through events like ‘Art & Literature
Festival’. He updated the gathering of students on how he always spoke in the
Parliament on various pending demands and issues of Sikkim.
He
promised to set up digital classes and e-libraries in colleges, upgrading the
existing libraries through MPLAD funds and initiating annual sports in
collaboration with the SKM student’s wing.
