Prem Singh Tamang (also known as Golay), chief minister of Sikkim, led his new Council of Ministers in his first Cabinet meeting here today, after the swearing-in-ceremony that took place yesterday.
The meeting commenced with a moment of silence to pay tribute to the individuals who lost their lives in the recent landslide in Majhua village, located in Yangang, Namchi district.
The council made the decision to provide ex-gratia payments based on the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) regulations and to build a house for every impacted household through the Sikkim Garib Awas Yojana (SGAY) programme, which was CM’s dream project.
Notably, the central share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for Sikkim, totalling Rs 44.80 crore, has been authorized by the Union home minister and minister of cooperation, Amit Shah. The funds will be provided ahead of schedule for the year 2023-24, to assist the state in providing assistance to those affected by disasters.
The cabinet put forward a number of important suggestions, which included recommendation of MLA, Sanjeet Kharel, for appointment as the Pro-tem Speaker by the Governor of Sikkim.
It is suggested that the 1st Assembly be initiated on 12 June to facilitate the swearing-in of members of the Legislative Assembly and the selection of a Speaker.
Based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission, a 4 per cent increase in dearness allowance has been approved for government employees, while retirees will see an increase from 42 per cent to 46 per cent in dearness relief, effective 1 July, 2023. This will lead to a budgetary impact of Rs 174.6 crore in the current fiscal year.
It was decided that relevant departments would conduct a comprehensive review of the state’s own tax and non-tax revenue collection.
Significantly, the Cabinet recommended the grand celebration of the 50th year of Sikkim statehood.