The Centre has constituted an inter-ministerial team to visit Sikkim to take stock of the damage following Sunday's devastating earthquake amid fresh reports that 400 foreign tourists were stranded in the worst-hit North Sikkim. Home Minister P Chidambaram will also visit Sikkim on Thursday to review the rescue and relief operations being undertaken in the Himalayan state.
The government on Friday expressed deep concern over China constructing a road in the disputed Doklam area near Sikkim
'China and India would like to conduct useful and meaningful exploration on this issue,' Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said.
Mainstream political parties in Sikkim have thrown their weight behind the separate Gorkhaland state issue for which the state has witnessed a series of agitations with its economy paralysed. The state's main political force -- the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front -- has openly supported the creation of a separate Gorkhaland state to fulfil what it says the aspiration of the Gorkha people.
Singh said the Modi government has changed the approach adopted by previous governments that the border areas are buffer zones between the plains and the potential adversary.
Santiago Martin has funded Rs 1,368 crore to political parties between October 2020 to January 2024 through electoral bonds.
Official sources in the Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday downplayed the controversy related to Chinese activities in the northern most part of Sikkim. Both sides are expected to meet formally to settle the new friction at the border.According to reports, China tried to grab a small tract of land, also known as finger area, in northern Sikkim, which overlooks the Himlayan Valley Sora Funnel.
As rescue teams continued their march to the inaccessible quake-hit areas of North Sikkim, the death toll in the ravaged Himalayan state on Friday reached 75, with the recovery of one more body.
With 20 more bodies recovered in quake hit Sikkim on Tuesday night, the toll mounted to 73 on Wednesday amidst fears that the casualty figure could go up significantly as the rescue party were yet to reach 15 major villages.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday went around some quake-hit areas in Sikkim where the toll has climbed to 50 and promised all help to the state to tide over its major crisis.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal for 'one nation, one Election' as recommended by the Kovind panel, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.
Pawan Chamling is all set to become CM for the fifth time in a row; SDF party led by him sweeps the assembly polls, winning 22 of the 32 seats. Anurag Kashyap reports.
The exercises also involve combat operations command, combat synergies, live fire shooting training, and comprehensive inspection of arms integration, the report said.
The charming town of Pelling can strike a balance between commerce and conservation
Tata Electronics on Saturday began the construction of its Rs 27,000-crore chip assembly plant in Assam, which is expected to become operational next year and create 27,000 jobs initially. The plant will produce 4.83 crore chips per day using indigenously-developed technologies. The plant's Bhumi Pujan (foundation stone laying) ceremony was held at the project site at Jagiroad in Morigaon district in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran.
Other prominent candidates among the 904 in the fray are Union minister Anurag Thakur, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti.
Justice Paul Daniel Dinakaran, facing impeachment proceedings in the Rajya Sabha, was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court on Monday after his transfer to the Himalayan state following allegations of corruption.
At least two persons were killed and four others injured in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district as a mortar shell, reportedly carried by the floodwaters of Teesta river, exploded, police said on Friday.
A Jaguar fighter aircraft of Indian Air Force crashed in a forest near Lik in Upper Dzongu in North Sikkim on Friday, with the pilot suffering serious injuries.
The PLA said the move has 'seriously damaged' border peace and tranquillity.
From the word go, Bihar growled its needs out when an MP from the state said aloud: "Give something for Bihar also, Madam." Every time the Budget mentioned cities and towns in Andhra Pradesh, "Kursi Bachao" was the call from Congress MPs.
Lonely Planet has nammed Sikkim the best region to visit in 2014. Here are some snapshots from one of India's most beautiful state.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman displayed the photographs of the alleged Indian "incursion" into the area during a media briefing.
The high-level committee on 'one nation, one election' approached 62 parties out which 47 responded -- 32 in support of holding elections simultaneously, 15 against it.
'The impasse on the India-China border in the Sikkim sector persists, but the Hamburg meeting between the two leaders will certainly have its salutary effects on the relationship between the two countries,' says China scholar Rup Narayan Das.
At least 11 people were killed -- six in India and five in Nepal -- after a powerful earthquake with a 6.8 magnitude rocked Sikkim and other parts in the northeast on Sunday leaving. In, India around fifty people have been injured and there has been extensive damage to property. The quake also jolted Bangladesh, sparking panic among the people, though there was no immediate report of any casualty.
China will resolutely safeguard its border sovereignty in conflicts with Indian troops even at the cost of war, GT said.
The government on Thursday reappointed former IPS officer Ajit Doval as the National Security Adviser (NSA), according to an official order.
The advisory asked to pay close attention to the security situation and take necessary precautions.
Sikkim's tryst with floriculture marks a new beginning for small growers, but poor market access and a flush of imported breeds may mar its sustainability.
SMU (Sikkim Manipal University) of Distance Education has announced admissions for its 'Spring Drive' in 2009.
As powerful earthquakes rocked Sikkim, the Central government on Sunday swung into action, rushing specialised teams for rescue, relief and medical operations, besides mobilising the Army and Air Force.
Sikkim was cut off from the rest of the country when Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha activists blocked the National Highway 31A early on Saturday as part of their 24-hour strike in the Darjeeling Hills region. Vehicular traffic between Sikkim and Siliguri via the NH-31A has been totally paralysed since early morning, police officials at Rangpo inter-state border checkpost said. Only a few vehicles belonging to the military forces, press persons and some ambulances were seen.
The Sikkim government is considering a proposal by the Forest and Wildlife Department to market the medicinal herb Cordyceps Sinensis, popularly known as Himalayan Viagra. The herb, whose scientific name is Caterpillar Fungus, is found abundantly in the forests of the Himalayan state.
Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling drove down from Gangtok to Rangpo and submitted to the governor a letter recommending dissolution of the House.
China on Wednesday accused India of "trampling" on the Panchsheel principles and asked New Delhi to "correct its mistakes" as soon as possible by pulling back troops.
On the eve of Foreign Ministerial talks, India on Wednesday virtually rejected China's claim over a small part of Sikkim, saying the state's boundary issue has been settled. Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said the recent Chinese claim over the 'finger area' in Sikkim border would be discussed at the talks between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi in Beijing on Thursday. China recently laid claim over the 'finger area'.
India has maintained there is no scope for a third party mediation.
