Gangtok, March 29 (PTI): Sikkim Chief Minister and SDF president Pawan Kumar Chamling on Friday announced various sops for the youth, including a one-time grant of Rs five lakh to those starting a livelihood venture, if his party is voted to power again.
"Our policy is youth first ... youth has always been our priority," he said while releasing the election manifesto of his party, Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), at the Vijay Sankalp Rally in West Sikkim's Soreng town.
He said that those youth not opting for Startup scheme will be given a one-time grant of Rs five lakh by the SDF government for starting a livelihood venture.
Chamling, who is the founding president of the SDF, also promised that his government will increase the startup loan to INR 30 Lakh from INR 20 lakh.
Our government will launch a scheme 'One Person, One Profession' whereby every eligible individual will be helped with a profession, he said.
The SDF president also promised to institute a Youth Forum in order to make Youths partners in policy making of his government.
He said that his government will make education free up to university level.
Chamling, who is spearheading the SDF's bid for a sixth consecutive term in power in Sikkim urged the voters to trust him to safeguard their future saying that he was a seasoned politician, not a seasonal politician.
Reeling out some achievements of his government during 25 years, he said that Sikkim is the first state in the country to fulfil basic minimum needs of its people.
"My government has also ensured peace and security over the last 25 years to make Sikkim an oasis of peace in the world," he claimed.
Seeking to counter his political adversaries charge that unemployment has increased under his rule, Chamling said that his government had given Muster Roll (MR) jobs to 30,000 Sikkimese people and their jobs were regularised subsequently.
Similarly, those people getting government jobs under 'One Family, One Job' scheme late last year, will also be regularised, he said.
The SDF government will also regularise the workers under various public sector undertakings (PSUs) in Sikkim, he said.
The Chief Minister said that loans taken from SABCO, including educational loans and loans taken for agriculture will be waived off by our next government.
Chamling sought to woo the farmers too by saying that his next government will provide cash assistance of INR 60,000 to organic farmers and financially poor families.
Additionally, agricultural implements of INR 40,000 will also be provided to the farmers under a scheme called 'Financial Security'.
Seeking to cash in on regional sentiments of the indigenous people, the SDF supremo said that his government has protected the rights and interests of the Sikkimese people by protecting Article 371F and Rule 4(4) and will continue to do so in future if elected to power again.
Article 371F in the constitution has special provisions with respect to the State of Sikkim.
