Chief Minister Pawank Chamling, who has led the march towards prosperity since he took over on December 12, 1994, says the beautiful state of Sikkim will soon be a developed state on the basis of its natural and human resources. He enlists some of the initiatives taken by his government in the areas of eco-friendly development, women's empowerment, capacity building and emotional integration of the people. Excerpts from an interview: You have a vision of making Sikkim a model state by 2015. What is being done to achieve this goal? When I took over as the chief minister, our main issue was to restore democratic institution in the state and ensure people exercise their constitutional rights. The thrust was on giving people basic amenities. We devised a policy of spending 70 per cent of the budget on villages as three quarters of our people live there. This was a radical decision, done to ensure proportionate development of both the villages and the cities. We have set up a range of institutions in the state including Sahitya Akademi. Within five years, Sikkim will have the entire infrastructure it needs. Sikkim is already a model state in many fields including environment, security, social justice, tourism, health, education, women's empowerment, sanitation and good governance. Sikkim has been adjudged as the first Nirmal Rajya of the country for 100 per cent sanitation coverage in the entire state. We are a green state. We are foremost in health facilities and education among the small states. Our tourism is eco-friendly. What I want is that Sikkim should become a model state for the entire country and the target is 2015. What are the steps taken by the government for empowerment of women? We introduced 40 percent reservation for women in the panchayats and 30 per cent in government jobs. We have set up women's rights courts. Women in Sikkim are the most empowered in the country. There is a guarantee of safety for women here, which is not there in any other state. We have a unique 'Small Family Scheme', under which, for any school-going girl, above 13 years, the government will keep aside an amount of Rs 5,000 in her bank account. When the girl clears Class X, she will get a bonus. She will get another bonus when she passes Class XII. Similarly, there will be a bonus when she gets a degree. And if she marries after the age of 23, she will get a marriage bonus. She will get the entire amount when she is 50 and has two children. But if she has more than two children, she will get a smaller amount. The aim is to encourage girls to go to school, get educated and have a small family. Another scheme we have is 'Prerna Yojana', where girls who are toppers in school at the primary school level, high school level and senior secondary fevel are being given scholarships. They Can get a maximum of Rs 3,000 per month and a minimum of Rs 1,000 per month as scholarship. This year, we conducted interviews for 40 civil services posts and 26 of these were grabbed by girls. Three years ago, when interviews were carried out for 25 posts, 18 of the candidates selected were women. We have almost equal number of women employees and workers as men in government establishments and the private sector. In every field, women are coming to the fore and are contributing to the development of Sikkim in a big way. Another unique initiative of ours is the Universal Financial Account Project, under which we open bank accounts for mothers. This will help in providing funds for education and health care. The women will also get life insurance cover, old age pension, maternity allowance and LPG connection under the project. The money will go directly into the bank account, doing away with middlemen. The government has also made it compulsory for land to be registered in the name of both the husband and the wife. If a couple gets divorced, the property will have to be divided equally between them. You have often spoken about emotional integration of the people of Sikkim with the national mainstream. Why did you feel the need for this and how success- ful have you been in this? Those who were in power before me misled the people of the state as well as those outside. They portrayed the Central government as a villain and projected themselves as heroes. Their politics was based on the ideology that Sikkim was snatched away and made a part of India and should be freed. Hence, even 20 years after merging with India, people did not feel they were Indian. The politicians had instilled in them hatred for people outside Sikkim for their own vested interest. When I was voted to be the chief minister, I spoke about the people of Sikkim exercising the rights given to them by the Constitution and worked towards creating a democratic atmosphere. My slogan was that India is our country and Sikkim is our home. I am happy that today the people consider themselves Indian and are proud to be Indian. They are not Indian just politically and geographically; they are Indian culturally and emotionally, too. Among all the states in the Northeast Council, in Sikkim there is peace and development and the people are happy. I have always worked in tandem with the Central government. I never blackmailed the Central government. My politics has never been negative. It has always been positive and constructive. Whenever I meet the Prime Minister, I seek for Sikkim only what it is entitled to, nothing more. Sikkim does not have rail and air links. What is being done in this direction? I have been taking up this issue with the Central government. It is important not just for the state but for the country, too. An airport is being built in Pakyong, 28km from Gangtok. The state will have a rail link within five years. A 60km-long railway line is being laid up to Rangpo as part of the first phase and the cost of the initial phase of the project is Rs 1,364 crore. In the second phase, which has been sanctioned by the Prime Minister, the rail link will be extended to Gangtok. Ultimately, it will extend up to Nathu La. It will be completely broad gauge and will have six tunnels. What are the government's initiatives for capacity building? Today, a lot of opportunities are available in the state. The literacy rate is high, yet there is not enough manpower that is skilled and capable to make use of the opportunities, as the people do not have the required capacity or skills. For the last five years, we have focused our efforts on capacity build ing and I am the first chief minister in the state to have spoken about the need for capacity building. I am not an academic or an economist, and it is from experience that I have realised the importance of capacity building Earlier, people would be handed jobs after they passed Class X and the mentality is still the same. But jobs are not easy to get these days. If we have to live in a cut-throat competitive global village, we will have to compete with the world in terms of education. It is not enough to just have a degree. Capacity and knowledge are required, too. For instance, in farming, people are being encouraged to take up organic farming and focus more on cash crops and keep an eye on which crops are in demand. As for the educated youth, they are being encouraged to take up training in the service sector. We have a capacity building directorate that is entrusted with the task of training them. We are also sending our youth outside the state for training and we give them with 100 per cent funding. A large number of youth are employed as air hostesses, stewards and also ground crew in the airline sector. Youth from the state are getting pilot training in India and foreign countries for which the state government gives them loans and grants. They are also given grants for getting trained in the hospitality services and in entrepreneurship. Our aim is to see that the opportunities in the service sector are filled completely by the youth. We plan to make it compulsory for them to get some training after they pass out of school or university. We are setting up a capacity building institute in the state, where they will have to enrol themselves after completing their education. The government will also be ready to bear the cost if Fearless: A red Panda looking for food in the Kanchenjunga National Park someone wants to go outside Sikkim for training. Does your government have any special scheme for health care? We have introduced mobile health check-up facilities to cover all the households in the state. The aim is to provide the people with a complete and free annual health check-up. We have a population of five lakh, which translates into 1.14 lakh homes. Mobile health check-up can be provided to all the homes and this will be a model for the other states. How have you been able to win the confidence of the people and get their support for your initiatives? When I became chief minister, I told the people that I was their 'No. 1 servant'. I also told them that just as I listened to them always, they should also pay heed to what I say as I have their well-being in mind. People also believe me because I have always done what I have promised to do. I took some bold decisions. For example, I banned grazing in the forests. There was uproar and the opposition felt it had got a potent issue. An association was formed to oppose the decision and they even moved court. But gradually, the people realised that I was right in banning grazing in the forest as the forest cover started increasing after the ban. For example, the forest cover which was 43.95 per cent in 1993-94 has increased to 46.28 per cent now. What or who has been the inspiration for your work? Whatever I have learned, I have done so in the 'University of Life'. There are so many people who pass out of university, but they fail in life. I did not go to any university, but I have been successful within the 'University of Life'. I have learned from experience and I want to" pass on this learning to the people of Sikkim. I want to work not only for Sikkim, but for the country. I want Sikkim to be like Singapore and Switzerland. All the cities and bazaars in Sikkim should be like those of Singapore and all the villages in the state should be like those of Switzerland. The state should be like Holland in terms of floriculture and horticulture. What is the philosophy behind your politics? I am a creative politician. So my politics is also creative, positive and constructive. I want to be different from other politicians by engaging in responsible politics. I do not want to indulge in any blame game. Could you please elaborate on your government's emphasis on eco-friendly tourism? We want to ensure that tourism in the state should not be at the cost of environment, culture and tradition. It should not be at the cost of the way of life of the Sikkimese people. Tourism should not lead to AIDS or bad culture or drugs coming into our state. We don't want insurgency or any anti-national sentiments to make inroads into our society. So it is not just about keeping our environment safe. Our culture and thought should also remain intact. Thegovernment is promoting nature tourism. We have seven climate zones within an area of 114km. Our biggest natural resource is that we have full four seasons. Sikkim is one of the 18 biodiversity hotspots in the world. This is our natural wealth which we want to be used in promoting tourism. To promote tourism, we should have the necessary infrastructure, there should be peace and the people should be capable. Sikkim will be the country's most beautiful and developed state on the basis of its natural resources. What has been the progress made in the power sector? We have a capacity of 8,000MW hydel power. Already, work is on to generate 5,000MW of power and this will be possible in a period of five years. Are there any plans to develop Sikkim into a prime member of the pilgrim circuit? We consider Guru Padmasambava to be the guardian deity of Sikkim. I announced construction of a statue of Guru Padmasambava in 1996 and a 132-foot tall statue of the Guru was built near Namchi. It is the tallest statue of his in the world. We are now building a tall statue of Lord Shiva in Sholaphok and this will be a char dhaam. It will be opened to the public in 2009 and I will request either the President or the Prime Minister to preside over the function. All the Shankaracharyas of the four dhaams will be invited to do the Pranpratisthapna of the Char Dhaam. We are building a statue of Lord Buddha in Rabangla. A Sai Baba temple has been built in Daramdin in West Sikkim. We are also building a temple at Thakurbari in Gangtok. A Siddhivinayak Temple, modelled on the one in Mumbai, is being built in Rhenock and a Shakti Sthal coming up in Mukrang, Tamletar, will have the temples of all the goddesses. Siddi Baba mandir is nearing completion at Assangthang, Namchi. A monastery, too, will be built in Namchi. All this is being done to develop Sikkim into an important pilgrim centre or Dev Bhoomi. What are your views on the demands of the people of Darjeeling for a separate state? I want to give a clear, candid reply to this. The people of Darjeeling have been making this demand for long. There is nothing wrong with it. As citizens of this country, they are well within their rights given by the Constitution to demand a separate state. Their demand is right and justified. It is up to the West Bengal government and the Centre to take a decision. The Government of India and the West Bengal government will have to take a decision in a positive manner and find a solution. It will serve no purpose if the Centre and the West Bengal government keep quiet and the people of Darjeeling keep making their demand. Darjeeling, which is known as the Queen of the Hills, is getting destroyed. The West Bengal government should take the initiative in solving the problem. There is no point in delaying a decision in the matter. If there is any problem in Darjeeling, Sikkim is the worst sufferer. We have more to lose than West Bengal. Our lifeline gets cut off every time there is an agitation m, Darjeeling. Quintessential Chamling: the many accolades Name of the award Year Given by 1 Chintan Purashkar 1987 Sikkim Sahitya Parishad 2 Bharat Shiromani 1996 Shiromani Foundation, New Delhi 3 Greenest Chief Minister of India 1998 Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi 4 Man of the Year 1998 Biographical Institute, USA 5 Manav Seva Puraskar 1999 Institute of Economic Studies, New Delhi 6 Poets' Foundation of India 2002 Poets' Foundation, Kolkata 7 Doctor of Philosophy (honoris causa) 2003 Sikkim Manipal University