Focusing on education, infrastructure and tourism, Sikkim is all set to become a model state for India Blessed with biodiversity and natural beauty, Sikkim, which has the magnificent Mt Kanchenjunga looking over it, is today passing through an era of "democratic profit". The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government led by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, which celebrated the fifth anniversary of its third term on May 21, 2008, lays emphasis on horticulture, floriculture, education, eco-friendly tourism and hydel power generation. AIMING TO BE SELF-RELIANT BY 2015 In order to make Sikkim self-reliant by 2015, the government is working towards ensuring speedy development of the power, tourism, education, floriculture, horticulture and pharmaceutical sectors. By bringing about economic development, infrastructural expansion and human resource development, Sikkim can attain a balanced and sustainable development regime. EDUCATION AND CAPACITY-BUILDING There has been steady improvement in the literacy rate. People lacked the required level of capacity and skill to utilise the knowledge. Therefore, the state has firmed up its programmes to train its youth after they pass out from college and university on a compulsory basis. Sikkim already has a full-fledged Directorate of Capacity Building and two per cent of the total budget has been earmarked for it. The state is planning to have its own institute of capacity-building and all preliminary works are being undertaken. Within the next financial year, the institute will be fully functional to undertake similar training programs on a larger scale. The final objective of the initiative is to ensure that everyone is able to secure employment both in the government and the private sector. Sikkim is one of the younger states in the country. However, it has made noteworthy progress in the education sector. The government lays emphasis on employing only trained teachers having a B.Ed degree. The larger objective is to make teachers capable and highly relevant to present-day imperatives. Healthy competition is being instilled in the students by introducing stipends and scholarships in the form of cash, loans, grants and rewards. Education is free up to college level. The government offers loans to students who secure admission in the 100 best universities in the world, and all expenses of poor children securing admission in one of the 10 best universities of the world are covered by the state. Other educational incentives are free textbooks, exercise books, school uniform, raincoats, school bags, shoes, socks, small family scheme and 'Prerna Yojana' for girl students. HARNESSING HYDEL POWER Sikkim has the potential of becoming one of the largest power generators in the country. Currently, the state's power projects are joint ventures, Colourfully yours: Sikkim has a wide variety of orchids, which are also exported but within the next few years, Sikkim aims to explore further in this direction. If the state achieves 100 per cent generation through both government private enterprises will increase from 600MWto 8,000MW. PROMOTING TOURISM To improve the tourism industry, Sikkim is working to upgrade its infrastructure set up which includes physica infrastructure and the social setting. The focus is on developing the roads, improving connectivity and bringing in good hotels. The Government has formulated a development scheme that makes these changes sustainable by providing a source of employment to its people. One of the main aims is to make Sikkim an organic state. The State has already reduced the use of chemical fertilisers and by 2015 it will be phased out. A tourism institute has been set up at Chemchey. Floriculture and ap culture are focused on, too. Efforts are on to promote pilgrimage tourism and village tourism with the new concept of 'homestay' Brand Sikkim: Safe, peaceful and clean Nestled in the lap of the mighty Kangchenjunga range, Sikkim is set to launch itself as one of the most sought-after tourist destinations. Truly a paradise, the state has lush green valleys and snowcapped mountains besides a rich cultural heritage. Tourism Secretary S.B.S. Bhadauria talks about the plans to boost tourism in the state. How has the year2008 been for tourism in Sikkim? According to statistics, in 2007 we had about four lakh tourists and in 2008, we had already crossed the four lakh mark by October. As for foreign tourists, while the number stood at around 17,000 in 2007, we had around the same number of tourists by October, 2008. Tourism has also developed as a majorarea of employment and revenue generation. More than four lakh tourists easily translates into an income generation of around Rs 4,000 crore. The best part about Sikkim is that the people are keen to take up tourism activities and it is set to become a major vocation in the state. What are the qualities that Sikkim possesses to evolve into a major tourist destination? Sikkim can have round-the-year tourism. We have full four seasons and each season has something to offer the tourists. If in winter it is the snowcapped mountains and adventure activities, in the summer, it is the rich flora of the state, that includes a wide variety of flowers. Has the Sikkim government come up with any innovative ideas with regard to tourism? We have launched the concept of 'eco-tourism' in the state. The idea is to develop tourism avenues but not at the cost of nature. The natural beauty has to be preserved and tourism should be undertaken on a sustainable basis. One of the main aims is to make Sikkim an 'organic state'. We have already reduced the use of chemical fertilisers and by 2015, there will be no chemical fertiliser in the state. A tourism institute has been set up at themchey. Floriculture and apiculture are focused upon and eco-friendly tourism is encouraged. now do you plan to use the rich flora to attract tourists? We definitely have plans of having what we call floral tourism, what with the large number of flowering plants that we have in Sikkim. Orchids are a major attraction. We had an international flower show in Sikkim, and the state can be a major contributor to the country's export of flowers and flower products. Are you offering any unique tourism products? We have introduced village tourism in the state. The idea is to market the culture, and lifestyle of Sikkim. Five to six villages in Namchi have already been enlisted in the project. We are making efforts to keep it affordable for everyone. What are your plans on developing Sikkim as a unique brand? Our emphasis is on promoting Sikkim as a land that is not only beautiful, but also safe, peaceful, clean and where nature has been protected. This is the Brand Sikkim that we are developing. What are the major steps that you are taking to improve the tourism sector in the state? To give a boost to the tourism sector, we are working towards upgrading the infrastructure. The state government's top priority is to develop the necessary infrastructure to have better hospitality services. The other area is that of connectivity. We will soon get a rail link and an airport is coming up at Pakyong. We have started doing just about 10 years ago what the other popular destinations, especially the hill stations, had started doing around a 100 years ago. Have the terror attacks in Mumbai had any impact on tourism inflow into Sikkim? There has been no impact whatsoever on the flow of foreign tourists to the state. However, there has certainly been an impact on the number of south Indian tourists who visit the state. But even this effect has not been sizeable.