The Union government has big plans for the northeast and Sikkim is going to be a nodal state for the region's development of the region. That Assam, which is going for elections later this year, is not leading this programme as the largest state in the region, tells its own story. The Centre is launching a big infrastructural push in Sikkim. A new airport will be built at Pakyong, which is expected to be complete and become functional by 2017 and is expected to be one of the prettiest airports in the region. There are plans to connect Sikkim with the country's rail network making it the third northeastern state after Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh to be brought on the rail map of India. The government also has plans to construct an alternative road highway to Gangtok in Sikkim via West Bengal and two ropeways which will serve the purpose of both tourism as well as transport.
12 constituencies to go to polls on February 13
The Election Commission has notified 12 Assembly constituencies that will go to the polls on February 13, after the start of the Budget session of Parliament. Most of these are in states not ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies: Bihar (Harlakhee), Karnataka (Bidar, Hebbal and Devadurga), Uttar Pradesh (Muzaffarnagar, Bikapur and Deoband), Tripura (Amarpur) and Narayankhed (Telangana). The states ruled by the BJP are Maharashtra (Palghar) and Madhya Pradesh (Maihar). Khadoor Sahib in Punjab will be an interesting contest because it will give us a foretaste of assembly elections due next year. The results of the elections will be announced on February 16.
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PM to visit Varanasi on Friday
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Varanasi and, possibly, Lucknow. In his constituency, Varanasi, he will distribute aids and appliances to the differently abled. In a recent Mann ki Baat broadcast, the PM urged people not to refer to the differently abled as vikalang (handicapped) but as Divyang (people with divine ability).
The aid will be distributed under the Assistance for Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids, Appliance Scheme (ADIP) of the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment. ADIP covers motorised tricycles, wheelchairs, accessible mobile phones for visually impaired students, Braille Note Takers and writing equipment, learning and communication equipment, Braille attachments for a telephone for the hearing and visually impaired, low vision and special mobility aids, hearing aids, and assistive and alarm devices.
Last month, Modi had visited Varanasi with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and attended the Ganga arati at Dashashwamedh Ghat.
Who will appropriate Netaji's legacy?
On Saturday, the 118th birth anniversary of the leader whose disappearance 70 years ago still remains a mystery, the Centre will declassify its secret files on Subhas Chandra Bose. This is expected to be a rich source of information about the life and times of Netaji, one of the most romantic and awe-inspiring internationalists in the freedom struggle.
The decision was conveyed to Netaji's family by the government some months ago. Why files relating to Netaji's disappearance have been classified is a mystery. Perhaps the declassification will solve that.
Of course, the importance of the government's decision has to be seen in the context of the West Bengal elections later in the year. Who will appropriate the Netaji legacy - the Trinamool Congress which has agitated to get the government to make the files public; the BJP which has actually opened the files; or the Congress which claims Netaji as a Congress leader - will be interesting to see.