46 villages in Sikkim getting developed under Vibrant Villages Programme

PTI, KOLKATA, JULY 27, 2024: A total of 46 villages in Sikkim are being developed under the Vibrant Villages Programme, says a release issued by the Department of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Ministry.

Vibrant villages, it may be mentioned, are located close to the international borders between India and China. 

The Narendra Modi government has taken up a special initiative to improve infrastructure facilities in these villages and generate employment and opportunities of livelihood to prevent the migration of the village people to other areas in search of a better livelihood. 

The release says the Modi government has taken a number of steps to develop the infrastructure of Sikkim which are over and above the Budget proposals but are crucial for the development of the state. 

Under the Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme, 2024, a 10-year project for the development of industries and generation of employment in the north-east at a total cost of over Rs 10,000 crore, Gangtok and Namchi have been selected under the Smart City Mission. 

Till December 2023, work orders have been issued in 63 projects in Sikkim worth over Rs 2,471 crore and Rs 894 crore have been released. Eight projects at an approved cost of Rs 244 crore have been allotted to Sikkim under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme. 

The length of national highways in Sikkim has increased from 149 km in 2014 to 709 km in 2023. Sikkim has been connected via air services for the first time under the Modi government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pakyong airport in 2018. 

Pakyong airport has been covered under the Krishi Udan Scheme to assist farmers in transporting agricultural products. On March 9, 2024, the Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 450 crore in Sikkim. 

Among them were the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Rangpo railway station and several road projects and the inauguration of a new road connecting Tharpu and Daramdin.