Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday declared his vision for a “golden” Sikkim, poised to emerge as a premier global hub for tourism and a powerhouse in sports.
The Prime Minister’s remarks came as the Himalayan State celebrated 50 years since its historic accession to the Indian Union in 1975.
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Addressing the Sikkim Golden Jubilee celebrations virtually from Bagdogra, West Bengal, due to inclement weather preventing his arrival in Gangtok, PM Modi lauded the people of Sikkim for their pivotal democratic decision to integrate with India.
“Sikkim chose a democratic future and became not just geographically but emotionally a part of India’s soul,” PM Modi stated, referencing the 1975 referendum where 97% of voters supported the merger.
Citing Sikkim’s remarkable journey over the past five decades, Prime Minister Modi hailed the State as a “model of development with nature.”
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He stressed its impressive achievements, including a high per-capita income, 100% organic farming practices, and unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability.
“The State has become a big garden of biodiversity and a symbol of conservation of culture and heritage that enriches India’s soul,” PM Modi added.
The Prime Minister also noted significant investment commitments from major industrialists in the Northeast, forecasting substantial employment opportunities for the region, including Sikkim.
“The distance from Delhi was once a barrier in the path of development, but now new doors of development are opening for the region,” he affirmed, further announcing central facilitation of passenger ropeways in terrains where road construction is challenging.
“Today’s programme is a glimpse of Sikkim’s journey to the future, which is becoming a bright chapter in the saga of new India,” the Prime Minister remarked.
The Prime Minister remarked that while the government is focused on building hospitals, it is also ensuring affordable and high-quality healthcare.
He stated that under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, more than 25,000 people in Sikkim have received free treatment.
The Prime Minister announced that across the country, all senior citizens above 70 years of age are now eligible for free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh.
He further assured that families in Sikkim will no longer have to worry about their elderly members’ healthcare, as the government will take care of their treatment.
PM Modi further revealed that they would develop the Soreng district as India’s first organic fishery cluster.
He stressed Sikkim’s potential beyond being merely a hill station: “Sikkim has no competition in becoming a global tourism hub because it is a complete package of tourism offering nature, spiritualism, and peace under the shadow of the Buddhist monasteries.”
Modi pointed out that Kanchenjunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a heritage that fills not just India but the entire world with pride.
He stated that today, as a new skywalk is being constructed, the Golden Jubilee Project is being inaugurated, and a statue of Atal Bihari Vajpayee is being unveiled, all these projects symbolize Sikkim’s new heights of progress.
During the event, the Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development projects in Sikkim.
Projects include a new 500-bedded District hospital worth over Rs 750 crore in Namchi district; a Passenger Ropeway at Sangachoeling, Pelling in Gyalshing District; Statue of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji at Atal Amrit Udyan at Sangkhola in Gangtok District, among others.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister also released the Commemorative coin, souvenir coin, and stamp of 50 years of Statehood.