Sarikah Atreya

A tentative blueprint has been charted by the Sikkim Tourism Department to have year-round activities for its most ambitious project, `2010 - Year of Tourism'.

The overall rainfall deficit in the State during this monsoon touched 30 per cent today. Disclosing this, Regional Meteorology Centre (RMC) sources here said that Meghalaya has recorded the highest rainfall deficit of 76 per cent during this monsoon.

The construction of an alternative highway in land-locked Sikkim is expected to begin within the next six months, the State Government said today.

Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways Kamal Nath directed his officials yesterday to expeditiously start the ground work for construction of the alternative highway within the next six months, an official release said here.

The Sikkim Government has launched a over Rs 5-crore project to plant more than 500 species of medicinal and aromatic plants in the State.

Under the project, being funded by National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), the Forest and Wildlife department would plant the seeds and saplings of rare medicinal plants, trees and herbs in 1,200 hectares land in next four years.

GANGTOK, June 18: A full-fledged geo-technical lab is set to ensure maximum land utilization in Sikkim. The state mines and Geology Department has initiated the task to modernise its laboratory to derive first hand data on different geological aspects of the Himalayan state.

GANGTOK, June 18: A Rs 5.07 crore project aimed at rejuvenating the endangered, rare, medicinal and aromatic plants was launched in Sikkim. The project, funded by National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), will run till 2011-12 and calls for propagation and conservation of threatened medicinal plants, trees and herbs in the 1,200 hectares project area of Sikkim.

The Sikkim Government has set a target of 85.90 per cent literacy rate in the State by 2012.

The SDF-led government has meanwhile reconstituted the State Planning Commission to execute a number of developmental plans in Sikkim.

: GANGTOK, June 15: Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has directed the State Forest Department to restore all the lost native tree species to have a 100 per cent green forest in Sikkim in line with the world famous Black Forest of Germany.

Action plan

The objectives for having

Rs 227.46 lakh proposal in 2009-10 action plan.

The components of the draft plan also include infrastructure development, creating camp sites, boundary demarcation and awareness programmes besides monitoring and evaluation.

Sarikah Atreya

Gangtok, June 10