Northeast Desk, 2nd October: Sikkim Governor *Om Prakash Mathur, along with Chief Minister *Prem Singh Tamang and other state ministers, paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 155th birth anniversary. The leaders offered traditional Sikkimese khadas to the statue of Gandhi at Mahatma Gandhi Marg in Gangtok, marking the occasion with reverence and respect.
The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, also celebrated as *Swachh Bharat Diwas, recognized *Mangan District as the best-performing district under the Swachhata Hi Seva initiative. The district’s exceptional efforts in maintaining cleanliness were applauded, with Mangan Nagar Panchayat being awarded as the cleanest urban local body (ULB), earning a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs.
In Gangtok, the Development Area was awarded Rs 1 lakh for being the cleanest ward under the *Gangtok Municipal Corporation. The *Chandra Jyoti Self Help Group was also recognized as the best-performing self-help group in the *Namchi Municipal Ward, winning a *cash prize of Rs 50,000.
Four Safaimitras from Gangtok Municipal Corporation received the Best Safaimitra awards for their dedication to cleanliness. Additionally, one Safaimitra each from the municipal councils of *Namchi, **Nayabazar-Jorethang, **Rangpo, **Singtam, **Mangan, and *Gyalshing were honored for their outstanding contributions.
In a notable gesture, five *sewerage workers, including **Birtaman Tamang, **Ugen Lepcha, **Dawa Tshering Bhutia, **Yognath Sharma, and *Passang Bhutia, were felicitated by the governor and the chief minister for their service.
Furthermore, four Gram Panchayat Units (GPU) were awarded for their cleanliness efforts, with Arithang Chongrong GPU from Gyalshing District taking first place, securing a *cash prize of Rs 5 lakhs. Other winners included *Budang Kamrey GPU in Pakyong District, Lingdong Barfok GPU in Mangan District, and Samlik Marchak GPU in Gangtok District, all of which were also honored with cash awards.
In recognition of its cleanliness standards, the State Circuit House in Gangtok was awarded Swachhata Green Leaf Ratings, further showcasing Sikkim’s commitment to environmental sustainability and cleanliness.
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