Gangtok, Feb. 7: Yangang in South Sikkim will have a state-of-the-art cultural centre. This was approved by the state cabinet, which met last week at the Tashiling secretariat here.

The cabinet approved the setting up of the cultural centre which will house community centres, libraries and institutes of performing arts, theatres. It will also have institutes of traditional and herbal medicines, ashrams etc.

The cultural centre is estimated to come up at a cost of Rs 41.39 crore, which the cabinet has already approved and sanctioned. It will be released from the rural management and development department.

At the cabinet meet, it was also decided to set up a tourist village-cum-socio-cultural and amusement park at Ranka in East Sikkim at a total cost of Rs. 36.31 crore. The cabinet approved and sanctioned the amount for the project, which will also be initiated under the state rural management and development department.

Ranka, adjoining Gangtok, had been earlier identified as a satellite township for the capital.

The cabinet also approved 15 schemes of development of tourism under ?other development projects? and sanctioned Rs. 90 lakh for the purpose. The projects include development of the Rangit dam site of the National hydroelectricity project at Legship into a tourist spot with boating facilities, development of the Samsing waterfall at Kewzing, a tourist viewpoint at Temi Tarku in South Sikkim, a tourist spot at Chandmari above Gangtok, improvement of the Tashi viewpoint, construction of a park near Akar Bridge at Jorethang, installation of the statues of unity at Kabi Longshok in North Sikkim and construction of a musical fountain at the Ipecac garden at Saramsa.

The cabinet has also cleared the proposal to implement the land bank schemes and extend the benefit of providing land to 57 families. A sum of Rs 29.93 lakh has been sanctioned to provide land for the 57 families.

The cabinet has also approved the proposal to empanel Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre Limited as a referral centre for patients diagnosed with heart diseases and requiring specialised care. Further, the cabinet also decided that henceforth, the medical advance to government employees would be fixed at Rs 50,000 for those seeking treatment outside Sikkim.

The unspent medical advance taken would be adjusted from the employees? salary at source.

The cabinet sub-committee on disinvestment, set up in June last year, will henceforth review all sick units and public sector undertakings in the state for converting them into joint venture undertakings.

The cabinet also renamed Majitar Bazaar in South Sikkim as Majitar Rangeet Bazaar.