ITS Holds Coordination Meeting In Soreng
Soreng, September 2 (IPR): The Institute for Transforming Sikkim (ITS) convened a coordination meeting for Soreng district, under the chairmanship of its Vice Chairman Mr CP Sharma at Rurban Complex, Soreng today.
The meeting had the presence and participation of ITS Members including, Mrs Ganga Devi Pradhan, Ms Namrata Thapa, Dr. Sangay Dorjee Bhutia, Dr. Bharat Chandra Basistha, Mr James Saring Lepcha and Dr. Neeraj Adhikari.
Addressing the house, Vice Chairman Mr CP Sharma stressed on how the concept of the formation of ITS was developed, highlighting its commitment to need based development and community participation. He then informed that the meeting was conducted with the aim to strengthen coordination among departments and to reinforce the sincerity and seriousness required in implementing development projects. Referring to the recent field visits by the ITS to various infrastructural projects in the district, he appealed all present to address concerns related to implementation delays. Further, the department heads were urged to carry out their responsibilities with sincerity and seriousness, especially in projects critical to public welfare.
Ms Namrata Thapa Member (ITS) presented an overview of the Institute for Transforming Sikkim (ITS). She then highlighted the vision behind the formation of ITS by the Chief Minister Mr Prem Singh Tamang, emphasising its aim of driving holistic development across the state. Further, she urged all to actively contribute towards framing innovative policies and working collectively for the overall development of the state.
Likewise, Mrs Ganga Devi Pradhan Member (ITS) also highlighted various concerns such as solid waste management amidst a growing population, biomedical waste disposal, Public Health Engineering (PHE) system, human capital development and liquid waste management. She then sought suggestions and strategic inputs to develop an effective and sustainable action plan to address these challenges.
Initially, while extending a warm welcome to all the ITS members along with the attendees, the DC (Soreng) highlighted the key mandates of the ITS, emphasising its role as a vital bridge between the government and development initiatives. Informing that Soreng being recognised as an Aspirational District under Aspirational District Programme of NITI Aayog, he commended the programme for offering a clear framework to assess progress and targeted development.
The DC further apprised that the district has achieved 100% saturation in 21 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), informing that 9,000 farmers in the district have been provided with Soil Health Card, contributing to agricultural practices and sustainable farming. While concluding his address, he expressed his hope that with the help and support of the ITS, Soreng district will witness further development in the days to come.
During the meeting, Mr Roshan Sharma from Planning and Development Department gave a brief overview of the ITS, covering its establishment, objective, terms and reference and its 16 verticals and sector.
The meeting also included an open house discussion, during which the present officials from various departments provided updates on their respective areas and further addressed the challenges related to infrastructure and sustainable development initiatives.
Further, ITS drew attention to several ongoing and stalled infrastructural projects wherein departments were directed to take strict measures to ensure completion of pending works and were reminded of the importance of maintaining and fully utilising existing government assets. The officers and officials were specifically asked to identify issues hindering progress and take corrective actions at the earliest.
Also, ADC-I Mr DR Bista provided an updates on the various key initiatives being carried out by the District Administration, including One Day at School Programme, Swaccha Paani, Swastha Haami, Thapchay Mukt Abhiyaan, Didi Ko Khajaghar, Panchayat Award under Nasha Mukt Abhiyaan. In addition, the District Administration also placed a few proposals for consideration and approval.
The meeting was also attended by Zilla Adhakshya (Soreng) Mrs Tila Devi Gurung, District Collector (Soreng) Mr Dhiraj Subedi, SP (Soreng) Mr Nahkul Pradhan, ADC-I Mr DR Bista, ADC-II Mr Santosh Kumar Allay, ADC (Development) Mr Gaayas Pega, SDMs, BDOs, Head of Departments, Head of Offices, officers and officials from various line departments.