The Chief Minister Shri Prem Singh Tamang participated in the 8th Meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog in New Delhi.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, Home Minister of India, Shri Amit Shah, Defence Minister of India, Shri Rajnath Singh, Deputy Chairman, National Institute For Transforming India, Dr Suman K. Bery. Ministers of the Central Government,
Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors,
Respected CEO of NITI Aayog, Shri B.V.R. Subramanyam were also present in the meeting.
Highlighting the views and concerns regarding Sikkim, he informed the gathering that the state has achieved the highest per capita income in the country and added that the first India Multi-dimensional Poverty Index Report published by NITI Aayog declared that Sikkim with 3.82 percent has the third lowest percentage of the population who are multi-dimensionally poor in India.
“We are keen to accomplish the dream of ‘Vikasit Bharat’ by 2047, founded on four pillars of infrastructure, investment, innovation, and inclusion so eloquently propounded by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji in the second National Conference of Chief Secretaries held in Delhi in January 2023”, stated the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister also expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister for providing Sikkim the rare opportunity to successfully host two prestigious G-20 and B-20 Engagement Group meetings. Further, he added that the meetings held very important discussions on the various avenues for investment in the State especially in the areas of tourism, organic farming, and start-ups.
While speaking about the MSME, he added that most of the MSMEs in the state are based on mountain agriculture heritage and services like tourism, health, education, energy, and traditional crafts. In this regard, he requested the NITI Aayog to establish an export-oriented, industry-empowered Organic Food Park cum Free Trade Warehousing Zone in the State.
Underlining the advice of the Prime Minister during the National Conference of Chief Secretaries held in Dharamshala in June 2022, regarding the use of drone transportation of fruits and other perishable products from interior areas to markets, the Chief Minister sought the support of the Union Government to explore the possibility to address one of the major concerns of marketing.
While speaking on the topic of climate change, the Chief Minister stated that the Government of Sikkim is setting up both short-term and long-term measures to deal with it, solely focusing on the importance of national security and human security dynamics.
“While we are constituting a high-level Climate Change Impact and Mitigation Commission to suggest preparatory strategies and-
-mitigation policies, we have also implemented an innovative green initiative namely Mero Rukh Mero Santati”, added the Chief Minister.
He also briefly highlighted the salient features of the BAHINI and AAMA SHSHAKTIKARAN YOJANA.
Further, he stated that India’s four major foreign policy matrices, including Neighbourhood First; Act East Policy; Cooperative Federalism; and Comprehensive connectivity with the neighbors, could make Sikkim, North East Region, and the entire neighboring sub-region of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal a successful growth plaza. Concerning this, he urged the Union Government to build a Multi-modal Corridor with a modern integrated check post between the State of Sikkim and Eastern Nepal through Chewa Bhanjyang. He also added that the government of Sikkim has already started building a road from Uttarey to the vicinity of Chewa Bhanjyang.
He also mentioned the importance of NH 10 which is the lifeline of Sikkim and plays a huge role in the national security-related operations and development of Sikkim. Given the criticality of this highway, he requested the Government of India to declare this highway rebuilding as a project of national importance for frontline connectivity.
The Chief Minister stated that the Government of Sikkim is designing a New Industrial Policy and also an Ease of Doing Business framework. However, to support the start-ups he emphasized the need to have schemes like NEIDS (North East Industrial Development Scheme) that would encourage investors and investment from South East Asian countries and extend incentives to green investment areas including energy, environmental services, climate change, and green industrial ventures.
The Chief Minister congratulated the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Government of India on the momentous and historic occasion of the inauguration of the New Parliament building, which is due tomorrow. He also expressed his gratitude for being allowed to put forth views on such critical issues of national interest and also extended his gratitude to the entire team in NITI Aayog led by the Vice Chairman, Dr. Suman Berry.
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook fb.com/thevoiceofsikkim or follow us on Twitter twitter.com/thevoicesikkim and Instagram instagram.com/thevoiceofsikkim. Visit www.voiceofsikkim.com.
