Sikkim adjudged Best Small State at IBN7’s Diamond State Awards

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presenting the Best Small State Award to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling in a function in New Delhi.

GANGTOK, 23 Dec [IPR]: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling received national news channel IBN7’s Best Small State award from Lok Sabha Speaker, Meira Kumar, at a glittering awards ceremony held in New Delhi which was attended by Chief Ministers of various states, Ministers of the states, Members of Parliament from both houses of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and prominent politicians and bureaucrats and other eminent personalities yesterday. Goa and Uttarakhand were declared second and third runners-up in the Best Small States category.
In IBN7’s Diamond State Awards, Sikkim was declared as the best state in the country in the category of small states in overall achievements and the state was also declared best state in the country in citizen security, environment and water and sanitation categories.
Speaking on this occasion, the Chief Minister informed the gathering that Sikkim has also commissioned regular studies on glaciers in Sikkim Himalayas. “Eminent environmental scientists have found that glaciers are not receding in our Himalayas. The state has also instituted a Glacier and Climate Change Commission headed by eminent scientist of the country, Mr Hasnain”, said the CM.
He said that the people of the Sikkim breathe fresh air from clean environment and as a Himalayan State Sikkim has contributed substantially towards environment and water security for the entire region and the country through short-term and long-term conservation programs launched at the state level.
The state launched Harit Kranti Varsha in 1995-96 and has many on-going green programs including massive afforestation under Ten Minutes to Earth program, Green Mission, Smriti Van, blanket ban on grazing, ban on use of plastics, ban on killing of wild animals and introduction of Environmental Studies in schools which has resulted in increase in forest cover from 43% in 1994 to 46% at present, added the CM.
Mentioning that all development programs in the state centre around the eco-city concept to promote clean and green environment, he said that Sikkim was rated as the Greenest State through popular vote instituted by the prestigious Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi in 1999.  Sikkim has been rated as the most sustainable under various parameters like reducing pressure on environment and responses to maintain the environment. The government has adopted a very scientific approach towards solid waste management, regulating water usage and discourages encroachment, he said.
The CM went on to state that the state has also been honoured with the first Nirmal Rajya award in December 2008 for achieving total sanitation coverage in Sikkim. In order to conserve water sources, the government has undertaken innovative programs like Dhara-Vikas to protect water springs and water sources.
While speaking on citizen security, he said that  Sikkim is the most peaceful state in the country as people live close to nature and the Sikkimese people are, by nature, peace loving and god-fearing. Over the last 20 years, the state has provided complete safety to its citizens and the sense of hatre as witnessed in other parts of the country is not prevalent in Sikkim.
He added that as a border state Sikkim is shouldering a very responsible task by remaining constant vigilance to see that unrest in the neighbouring states and countries do not spill over into the state.  However, he said that insecurity in terms of personal safety is acquiring a very dreadful dimension globally. The shooting incident in the US school and the recent incident in the capital city reflect urgency for further improving security and the apparatus available for weaker sections.
“We need to think very seriously about it. This concerns us too as women are not only home makers but leaders in their own right. Recently, we have concluded elections under the Panchayati Raj System in Sikkim. Fifty percent of seats were reserved for women and they have been elected to the post of Sabhapati, Adhayksha, Up-adhayakshya in Gram Panchayats and Zilla Panchayats. That means, we have effectively brought about positive change under what you call social engineering”, he stated.
On the health sector, the CM said that citizens of Sikkim have access to free health facilities. The government stresses on preventive measures and Sikkim was the first state in the country to provide free Hepatitis B vaccination for the infant population. Under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Annual and Total Check-up for Healthy Sikkim (CATCH) program, the health check-up for each citizen is undertaken annually at designated centres across the state.
“Launched on 26 August 2010, we have covered over 50 percent of our population under this program to compile the health profile of our citizens”, said Mr Chamling.
The multi-specialty 575-bedded Hospital is under construction in Gangtok, a state government plan to institute a Medical College in the premises to facilitate higher medical studies in Sikkim. He said that the overall life expectancy of the Sikkimese people has increased by over 3 years during the last eighteen years.
CB Karki [Minister Rural Management and Development Department], P D Rai [Lok Sabha M P], H Lachungpa [M P Rajya Sabha], P L Subba [M L A], K N Rai [Political Secretary to Chief Minister], R S Basnet [Principal Secretary to Chief Minister], Arvind Kumar [Principal Resident Commissioner], M L Nagar [Dy Residential Commissioner] and others were also present on the occasion.