JALPAIGURI: Buddhadeb rules out Gorkhaland

FROM INDOPIA

Jalpaiguri (WB), Dec 24: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said his government will not bow down to Gorkha Janmukti Morcha&aposs (GJM) pressure for separate Gorkhaland.

“The GJM leadership in Darjeeling hills wants to divide the state. But, we do not want it and it will not happen. We have asked its leadership for talks and they will sit in a tripartite talks on December 29,” Bhattacharjee told a rally here.

He invited the GJM leadership to take part in elections and said”those who would come to power by election will rule the Hills.

 

BREAKING NEWS: GJM decides to join tripartite talks, calls off bandh

BREAKING NEWS

FROM THE HINDU

Darjeeling (PTI): The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, which is spearheading a movement for a separate state of “Gorkhaland” comprising Darjeeling and adjoining Dooars and Siliguri, today called off its proposed three-day bandh and decided to join the tripartite meeting in New Delhi on Dec 29.

“The bandh is postponed in view of the Chirstmas and the upcoming tripartite meeting,” the GJM President Bimal Gurung announced at Garubathan in Darjeeling district.

Earlier, the GJM has issued a fresh deadline to the state government to arrest the perpetrators of the recent Kalchini and Devidanga violence, along with transfer of North Bengal Inspector General of Police K L Tamta or risk jeopardising the December 29 tripartite talks involving GJM, state government and the Centre.

“Keeping Chirstmas in mind, the party had also decided to postpone from 0600 hours today the hunger strike outside the police stations in Darjeeling district and adjoining areas. It will again resume from December 27,” the GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri told PTI.

INDO-NEPAL: Railways to convert Gorakhpur-Nautanwa route to broad gauge

FROM PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

By Arunav Sinha

News shared by Aardee

Lucknow, Dec 23 (PTI) In a bid to connect districts on Indo-Nepal border with the rest of the country and facilitate movement of passengers and tourists, the Railway Ministry has decided to re-lay tracks on the Gorakhpur-Nautanwa route.

“It has been decided to replace the 81-km stretch of existing metre gauge track on Gorakhpur-Nautanwa route by broad gauge and the work will start soon,” spokesman of North Eastern Railway Amit Singh told PTI.

The conversion work which will start from December 26 and is scheduled to be completed in April next year at an estimated cost of Rs 381.17 crore, Singh said. “Once the conversion is complete, districts on the border will be connected directly with Delhi and other important stations.” The official said conversion of the tracks would help passengers specially tourists to Nepal to save time spent on travelling.

“It takes almost three hours to reach Nautanwa in Maharajganj district from Gorakhpur by bus. Trains on the metre gauge (mostly the passenger trains) take 6-7 hours. Once the exercise is over travelling time by will get reduced by almost two hours,” Singh said.

“Indo-Nepal border is barely five kilometres from Nautanwa and after gauge conversion we hope that local tourism will pick up as this place links New Delhi with Kathmandu,”he said.

BLOGGING NEWS: Vietnam imposes new blogging restrictions

FROM PRI

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

Hanoi (Vietnam), Dec 24 (AP) Vietnam has approved new regulations banning bloggers from discussing subjects the government deems sensitive or inappropriate and requiring them to limit their writings to personal issues.

The rules ban any posts that undermine national security, incite violence or crime, disclose state secrets, or include inaccurate information that could damage the reputation of individuals and organizations, according to a copy of the regulations obtained today by The Associated Press.

The rules, which were approved December 18, attempt to rein in Vietnam’s booming blogosphere. It has become an alternative source of news for many in the communist country, where the media is state-controlled.

The new rules require Internet companies that provide blogging platforms to report to the government every six months and provide information about bloggers on request.

The companies are also required to prevent and remove content the government deems harmful.

The regulations, written by the Ministry of Information and Communications, encourage bloggers to use “clean, healthy Vietnamese language.” They clarify earlier Internet regulations that were introduced in August.

TELENGANA: Demand for Telangana justified

By D Rama Krishna Reddy

In the last week of October the core group of the UPA government met in New Delhi to find a solution to the demand for a separate state of Telangana and to consider its implications for the general elections in 2009. The issue has assumed importance once again.

The demand for a separate Telengana state has a long history. Though the rest of India got independence from the British at midnight of 15 August 1947, the people of Telangana continued to be under the Nizam’s rule till the princely state of Hyderabad was liberated on 17 September 1948. Thereafter, Hyderabad was put under the administrative control of the central government for about three and a half years. In the first general elections, the Congress came to power in Hyderabad and Boorgula Ramakrishna Rao became chief minister. Even though the States Reorganisation Commission recommended a separate state, Telangana was merged with Andhra Pradesh in November 1956.

In the past 52 years, only three persons from the Telangana region ~  PV Narasimha Rao, M Chenna Reddy and T Anjaiah ~ have become chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. Their combined tenure was only around six years. Although Chenna Reddy brought the Congress to power in the state twice ~ in 1978 and 1982 ~ he was not allowed to complete his tenure on either occasion at the instance of Andhra leaders.

This gave credence to the feeling that people from Telangana could not become chief minister of the state because of a conflict of interests and the brute majority of Andhra MLAs.

When Telangana was merged with Andhra Pradesh, the leaders of both the provinces entered into an agreement, popularly known as “the  Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1956″, which provided for certain safeguards and guarantees to the people of Telangana in the matters of employment, education and development. But this was subsequently given up. In its place, an eight-point formula was adopted in 1969, which was replaced by a six-point formula in 1972. Through the six- point formula, Article 371D was inserted into the Constitution by the 32nd constitutional amendment of 1973 providing some safeguards to the people of Telangana in the matter of employment and education, which was also violated with impunity.

This apart, there is no emotional integration between the people of  Telangana and Andhra Pradesh even after five decades of the formation of the new state. While the people of Telangana still consider Andhra people exploiters, the former consider the people of Telangana to be ignorant and gullible.

COMMUNITIES: Lepchas Vow to Die for Their Community

FROM INTER CONTINENTAL CRY.ORG

More than 20,000 Lepchas have vowed to die for their community and to ensure that their culture survives for coming generations.

A peaceful and nomadic people in the Sikkim region of West Bengal, the Lepchas gathered this past weekend in Kalimpong to celebrate the 227th birthday of their King Gyabu Achok.

The event was organized by the Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association (ILTA), with the help of the Darjeeling Lepcha Association, Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), the Kolkata Lepcha Association and other groups.

“The occasion emboldened the Lepcha community, which has been recognized as an indigenous tribe by Charter 309 of the United Nations and is striving to protect their ethnicity and region of Dzongu in Sikkim,” comments The Statesman.

One of three indigenous peoples in Sikkim, the Lepchas, who call themselves Rongpas (ravine dwellers), is simultaneously working to stop a series of hydro projects proposed for the Dzongu river in north Sikkim.

The dam project threaten to displace a number of Lepcha, devastate the region’s biodiversity (i.e. the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve), and destroy what the Lepcha believe to be the birthplace of humanity.

To date the Lepcha have successfully campaigned to stop four of six hydro dams. “Two projects have not been scrapped yet and a relay hunger strike is still in progress to scrap them,” says Samden Fonning Lepcha, general secretary of the Darjeeling Lepcha Youth Association. “This is probably slated to enter the Guinness Book as the longest hunger strike in the world.”

November 2nd marked 500th day of the indefinite hunger strike.

SIKKIM: Legislation for constitution of Commission

FROM INDOPIA

Gangtok, Dec 23: The Sikkim Legislative Assembly today unanimously passed the Sikkim Police (Amendment) Act, 2008 paving the way for the constitution of the Police Accountability Commission in the Himalayan state in compliance with a Supreme Court directive.

The 32-member state legislative adopted the bill by a voice vote after the Speaker D N Thakarpa put it for the voting by the members on the second and final day of the two-day winter session.

The Sikkim Police (Amendment) Act, 2008 proposes to set up a Police Accountability Commission consisting of a former high court judge as its chairman and a retired police officer not below the rank of the inspector general of police or secretary, a retired judicial officer of the state superior judicial service and a woman member with a proven record in social service as its members.

SIKKIM: Bill for mandatory verification of tenants/helps passed

FROM INDOPIA

Gangtok, Dec 23: Sikkim assembly today unanimously passed a legislation mandating houseowners to provide details of their tenants and domestic helps to police stations having jurisdiction of such tenancy.

The 32-member house adopted the Sikkim Tenants and Domestic and Professional Helps ( Compulsory Verification)Bill, 2008, after Speaker D. NThakarpa put the proposed bill for the voting by the members.

The act required the houseowners to inform about their tenants and domestic and professional helps to the officer-in-charge of the police station having jurisdiction of tenancy within 30 days of the notification of the act.

An houseowner failing to comply with the provisions of the act would face conviction by a first class magistrate of a penalty of upto Rs. 5,000. 

Under the Act, the magistrate would take cognizance of the offence only after the officer-in-charge of the juridiction of tenancy submits a written complaint against a houseowner.

TEA INDUSTRY: Insurance plan for tea plantation workers

FROM THE HINDU

WORKERS’ PROTECTION: Rishi Srivastava, Senior Vice-President-Head of Sales, ICICI Prudential Life, flanked by Andren Bogui (left), Deputy Director ILO, South Asia, and Jeanna Holtz, Senior Grant Officer, Micro Insurance Innovation Facility, ILO, at a press conference in New Delhi on Monday.

NEW DELHI: ICICI Prudential Life on Monday announced the launch of an insurance plan designed to help tea plantation workers meet their savings and protection needs.

Low premium

A unit-linked endowment product, Anmol Nivesh, would be available with an annual premium of as low as Rs. 1,200 for a sum assured of Rs. 6,000, ICICI Prudential Life Senior Vice-President, Rishi Srivastava, told newsmen here announcing that it had partnered the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the product.

Policy term

While the policy term is for 7-15 years, the product allows partial withdrawals after three years of premium payment to meet the short-term liquidity needs of customers in lean income period, he said.

NEPAL: Blank editorials protest attack on Nepal media house

FROM THE NEWS.COM [PAKISTAN]

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s leading newspapers appeared without editorials on Tuesday, a sign of protest over a weekend attack by Maoist activists on a local publishing house in which journalists were beaten and its office ransacked.

On Sunday dozens of activists belonging to a labour union affiliated to the ruling Maoists attacked the office of Himalmedia, publishers of the weekly English-language Nepali Times and other magazines, injuring some staff including journalists.

The attackers said they were unhappy with negative coverage. Major English and Nepali language newspapers on Tuesday left their editorial spaces blank, some with bold black borders.

‘We feel the attack on Himalmedia and other media houses represents a serious threat to press freedom, democracy and pluralism in this country,’ media groups Nepal Media Society and the Editors Alliance said in a statement.

‘It is ironical that it should be perpetrated by a group affiliated to a party that won the election and leads the government,’ the statement said. ‘We feel enough is enough.’

About 300 journalists and human rights activists marched through Kathmandu on Monday in opposition to the attack and some people were injured as protesters clashed with police.

SIKKIM: Saras Fair-09 at Jorethang

FROM SIKKIM REPORTER

Gangtok: Sikkim Rural Development Agency (SRDA), Rural Management & Development Department, is organizing a Regional Saras Fair, 2009, at Jorethang, South Sikkim, from 14 to 23 January, 09. The first ever of its kind in the State, the Fair will be coinciding with the Makar Sankranti Mela to attract visitors and customers for sale and display of products of Self Help Groups, which include handlooms, handicrafts, clay items, food products and many more attractive items from all over the country. More than 15 States are expected to participate in the Fair which will offer an opportunity to the people of Sikkim to choose from a wide range of items produced by rural artisans, informs an SRDA press release.

The main objective of organizing such a Fair in the State is, the release says, “to establish a large number of Micro Enterprises in the rural areas, building upon the potential of the rural poor and to assist the poor families to come above the poverty line”.

SIKKIM: Resolution placed in Assembly on seat reservation for LT and others

FROM SIKKIM REPORTER

Sikkimese Legislative Assembly at Gangtok

Gangtok: In a renewed bid to secure Schedule Tribe seat reservation for Limboos and Tamangs in the State Legislature, Chief Minister Dr. Pawan Chamling moved a resolution (Resolution No.1 on Monday, first day of the Winter Session 2008 of the State Assembly, which was seconded by MLA Mr. Ran Bahadur Subba. Expectedly, the resolution will be passed after discussion today (Tuesday).

Regarding context of the resolution, Chief Minister mentioned the Union Home Minister’s letter, D.O. No. IV-11015/1/2005-CSR, dated 4.9.08, wherein it is said, “it would strengthen the case (of LT seat) if an unambiguous and consensual resolution is passed by the Legislative Assembly clearly outlining the category wise reservation of seats being proposed by the State Government”.

Specifying the context, the resolution says, “It is, therefore, submitted that the total number of seats in the SLA be increased to 40. The 12 seats reserved for BLs and 1 Sangha seat should not be disturbed. This leaves 27 seats for 79.5% of the population. SCs with 5.03% population have 2 seats. The seats STs (Limboos and Tamangs) may, therefore be decided out of the 27 seats as per the proportion of their population in the remaining 79.5% population”.

“The Cabinet has already considered and approved the above criteria outlining the category wise reservation of seats for the BLs, Sangha, SCs and STs. This resolution is now submitted for endorsement by this August House for forwarding to the Government of India for further necessary action”, the leader of the House said.

DOOARS TERAI: FB, CPI flay govt tribal policies

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Dec. 23: The Forward Bloc and the CPI leadership have flayed the state government for not addressing the tribal development issue in the proper manner.

“The Left Front government’s performance during its three decade tenure is not up to the expectations and an introspection is required as a prelude to effectively stemming the discontent tide in the tribal dominated region, including the region of north Bengal,” said the FB and the CPI leadership today.

It may be mentioned that the state PWD minister and a senior RSP leader, Mr Ksiti Goswami, said in Siliguri a few days ago that the Left Front government has miserably failed to address the tribal problems during its tenure.

According to the FB’s national secretary, Mr Debabrata Biswas, the panchayat system ushered in the state to address the local development issues at the local levels has reduced itself to a localised version of centralised ruling. “The panchayat should have been instrumental in ameliorating the local economic grievances. It has failed in its mission fuelling discontent in the poverty stricken regions of the state,” he said.

Referring to the tribal unrest, the FB leader said that it could not have come to its present sorry pass had the panchayats taken care of the development requirements in the tribal dominated region.

DARJEELING: Darjeeling Municipality takes over water supply

FROM THE STATESMAN

DARJEELING, Dec. 23: The Darjeeling Municipality will now take charge of the North and South Senchal Lakes that supply water to the town from the DGHC controlled public health engineering (PHE) department. Under the supervision of the civic body, the PHE had taken over the project for better management and water supply in April, 2004. Since then the municipality has looked after water distribution in the 32 wards while the PHE managed the pumping and treatment of water. However, lack of co-ordination between the two departments aggravated water shortage problem in Darjeeling.

The two lakes along with the Khong Khola pumping station and the Rambi water supply project was handed over formally today. The conduit lines currently under repair will be handed over shortly. “So far we were dependant on the PHE. Henceforth, we will be answerable and accountable to the public for any shortage in the supply of water,” said Mr Pemba Tshering Ola, chairman, Darjeeling Municipality.

Dug in the 1920’s the two lakes have a combined capacity of 33 million gallons. A total of 7 lakh gallons is fed to them from the 22 jhoras through conduits along with water pumped from the Khong Khola and the Bangla Khola via the Sindhap 3rd Lake. Although the minimum water requirement in Darjeeling is 15 lakh gallons per day, the PHE claims that it supplies about 8 lakh gallons a day against the civic body’s assertion that only 4-5 lakh gallons is supplied that too in the peak season.

SILIGURI: Riots dampen Christmas spirit

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Dec. 23: The deepening economic uncertainty in the tea plantations coupled with the growing communal animosity in Orissa and elsewhere is casting ominous shadows on Christmas celebrations this year. The tribal Christians, working in the tea plantations scattered over the Terai in Darjeeling district have decided to scale down the Christmas celebration this year as “the characteristic Xmas joviality is eluding the tea plantation workers in view of the economic volatility looming them.”

According to Mr Oscar Tirkey, a senior functionary of a cultural organisation for the tribals, the tribal tea workers, mostly Christians, are fighting a grim battle of survival with the tea plantations groaning under severe resource crunch. “The future of the plantations is uncertain. A retrenchment threat is also dangling over us with a prominent Union minister having recently fuelled speculation on the matter,” he said.

“Besides, employment scope outside the plantations is shrinking for us with the authority remaining apathetic to provide us with the requisite Scheduled Tribe certificates. Loan facility is eluding us because of the same problems. Placed as we are in this tight corner, the customary mood of merriment is fast losing its spontaneity,” he said.

SIKKIM: Sikkim ups seats in House

FROM THE STATESMAN

GANGTOK, Dec. 23: The Sikkim Assembly today passed the Sikkim Police Amendment Bill and unanimously resolved to increase the number of seats in the SLA to 40 in place of the current 32. The Police Amendment Bill empowers the state government to constitute a Police Accountability Commission, henceforth headed by a chairman and with members to enquire into public complaints against any police officer, against misconduct and perform functions in accordance with the related section of the amended Police Act.

This was done in the light of observations and directions issued by the Supreme Court in the case of Mr Prakash Singh and also to avoid repugnancy with the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.

The Sikkim Legislative Assembly also unanimously passed a resolution to increase the total number of seats in the SLA to 40 from the existing 32. The increase would take place without disturbing the 12 seats reserved for the Bhutias and Lepchas and one seat for the Sangha constituency.

SILIGURI: Must-do list before CM visit

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Siliguri, Dec. 23: The North Bengal Development Council will discuss utilisation of funds for infrastructure development and increase of its staff strength in its annual meeting scheduled tomorrow.

Council chairman and chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is arriving at Jalpaiguri on a two-day visit tomorrow. He will attend the second general meeting of the body at the Circuit House.

“It is important to augment the infrastructure of the Council for effective and timely utilisation of funds allocated for its development of north Bengal districts,” said Debprasad Roy, the Congress MLA from Jalpaiguri and a member of the body. “At tomorrow’s meeting, we will highlight the lack of manpower in the engineering cell of the Council – the cell has an assistant engineer and an employee – leading to delay in executing the projects.”

According to him, the strategy to engage departments like public works, irrigation and the public health engineering to implement the Council’s projects is delaying the process. “We will suggest that the Council should assign some of its projects to the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority as most of the departments have workloads of their own,” Roy added.

Ashok Mondal, the Trinamul Congress MLA from Dinhata, said the Council should be self-sufficient in its activities. “Unless the Council has a full-fledged infrastructure, it will continue to limp since it is not possible to carry out development by banking on the existing departments, as the prime objective to establish the Council was to implement additional projects apart from the schemes executed by other departments,” he said.

The Forward Bloc, represented by food minister Paresh Adhikary in the Council, will demand immediate formation of a separate department for north Bengal and filling up the post of vice-chairman. The post has been lying vacant since the death of veteran leader and former agriculture minister Kamal Guha.

DARJEELING: Union donates 5.8 lakh to Morcha

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Darjeeling, Dec. 23: State and central government employees from across the Darjeeling hills have donated Rs 5.8 lakh towards the Gorkhaland Relief Fund as part of their “support towards the movement”.

The fund was created by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha before July. The party, however, has not made it clear how it is going to utilise the donation.

K.K. Pradhan, general secretary, Hill Employees and Workers’ Trade Union, said: “On December 22, we have given Rs 5,84,161 towards the Gorkhaland Relief Fund vide a cheque. This is our contribution towards the last battle for Gorkhaland.”

In July, the hill union had announced that it would collect a day’s salary from the employees as donation for the Gorkhaland agitation revived by Bimal Gurung. It was estimated that the average one day salary came around Rs 500. The union claims 5,000-odd hill employees affiliated to it.

“The amount is of the first round of collection. We have already started another round of collection and that money, too, will be handed over as soon as possible,” said Amar Rai, the president of the union. He, however, did not know the exact amount that would be collected in the second and third rounds but said it should be about Rs 5 lakh. “Right now, the offices are closed and this is why we cannot tell you the exact figures,” said Rai.

The Hill Employees’ Association, which also claims to have an equal number of employees under its fold like the union, has also started collecting donations for the Gorkhaland movement.

SILIGURI: Focus on tribal development

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Siliguri, Dec. 23: The Darjeeling district administration has asked the departments to expedite development work in the tribal dominated areas of the Siliguri subdivision.

“We have marked 80 backward villages in the subdivision and have started work according to a micro plan drawn up for each village with a view to create a constant source of income,” Surendra Gupta, the district magistrate of Darjeeling, said here today.

“It has also been decided to construct houses under the Indira Awas Yojana for people residing in the gardens. But we are facing a problem in executing the scheme as the management of the tea estates has not provided the no-objection certificates. So far, not a single estate in the Terai has provided NOC to the beneficiaries.”

Gupta said they had informed the problem to Union minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh and also to tea board officials. “They are expected to intervene soon,” he added.

Administrative sources said the chief minister, during his visit here earlier this month, had instructed comprehensive development for the tribals through speedy implementation of schemes and disbursement of SC/ST certificates.

KALIMPONG: Another dump horror for civic body

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

A garbage mound in the basement of a building owned by the municipality. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, Dec. 23: The Kalimpong Municipality is up against another garbage protest.

The civic body has been forced to stop treating solid waste at the army dumping site near Durpin following protests by villagers of Chalisa and Chivvo Busty, 2km away.

The army had given permission to the municipality for the use of its site till January 31. The civic body has recently acquired land for a permanent dumping site at Lower Bhalukhop, but for the moment it cannot be used as the approach road is yet to be built.

In June, protests from villagers at Bhalukhop had forced the civic body to shift its dump yard. After that, none of the localities in town refused to have anything do with a dumping ground, even if it was temporary, near their vicinity.

The local army station at Durpin came to the civic body’s rescue by allowing the use of its dump yard in November.

Sangay Zimba, the municipality’s health officer, claimed the entire exercise of solid waste management was being done in a very scientific manner. “But the villagers complained about the foul stench and increase in the population of flies because of wastes,” he said.

SILIGURI: Tiger count ends in Mahananda – Foresters find 25-30 samples of scat in five-day-long census

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Foresters examine a pug mark during the tiger census at Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. A file picture

Siliguri, Dec. 23: Foresters have found 25-30 samples of tiger faeces in the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary during the five-day long census that ended yesterday.

The faeces or scat is the second most conclusive evidence after direct sighting to confirm the presence of big cats in a reserve forest area.

“During the exercise, the census teams travelled across the sanctuary spread over more than 100sqkm and also in the fringe forests,” said Sumita Ghatak, the divisional forest officer (wildlife-I).

“Evidence like pug marks and scratches on barks of trees were found but, most importantly, we have found 25-30 samples of tiger scat, which confirms the presence of big cats in the sanctuary. We will send these samples to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) at Dehra Dun for DNA tests and final results,” the DFO said.

Ghatak, however, made it clear that the number of samples of tiger faeces does not indicate the animal’s population. “Scat of a tiger may have been collected from different locations. The chance of repetition thus remains and nothing can be said about the population. Samples of many tigers may not be available also during the census,” she said.

The census, which began on December 18 at the sanctuary, was conducted after four years. According to the 2004 count, 16 tigers were there at Mahananda.

On direct sighting of tigers, Ghatak said the census teams had not reported any such information to her.

“We, however, have pug marks and other evidences, which will be analysed and sent to the office of the state’s chief wildlife warden. After further examination, the records will be dispatched to the WII which is expected to declare the final results,” the DFO said.

KURSEONG:Himali goes global again, to host IELTS from March

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Himali Boarding School in Kurseong. Picture by Vivek Singh

Kurseong, Dec. 23: Himali Boarding School has been selected as a centre of examination for International English Language Testing System (IELTS), making it easier for students from the region who earlier had to travel to Calcutta to sit for the exams.

The IELTS is a compulsory exam for anyone wanting to go abroad for studies and jobs. It is managed jointly by the University of Cambridge and the British Council.

“It is through this exam that one has to prove that one knows English and can understand the language. The first exams at this centre would be held on March 9. Experts from the British Council will be here on that day,” Robindra Subba, the director of Himali Boarding School told journalists today.

Subba said the exam would cover the four language skills – listening, reading, writing and speaking. IELTS is recognised by universities and employers of many countries, which include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the US. It is also recognised by professional bodies, immigration and other government agencies.

“We agreed to allow a centre of this sort to be opened at our institution as we felt that this would be a big opportunity for the students of this region. Any student or person who wants to appear for the exam would have to pay Rs 7,500. The expense would have been more if the centre was in Calcutta as the candidates had to incur travelling and boarding costs,” said Subba.

The certificate of qualifying the exam is given by the British Council and is valid for two years. “After the expiry of its validity, a fresh exam has to be taken for another certificate. We also have plans to start a training course for the exam but that plan has not yet been finalised,” added Subba.