The development of north eastern region (DoNER) ministry has approved projects worth ₹400 crore to Sikkim and plans to organise three major events related to bankers, investors and culture involving the eight northeastern states.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Union minister of DoNER, had a review meeting with Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) and other senior officials in Gangtok on Friday during his two-day visit to the state.

After the meeting, Scindia said projects worth ₹400 crore has been approved for Sikkim.

These include a new medical college in Gangtok at ₹170 crore, approval for procurement of medical equipment for Namchi District Hospital for a sum of ₹150 crore and development of a hospital in Mangan district at
₹6 crore apart from other tourism projects.

“We also have plans to hold three major projects collaborating with all the eight chief ministers (of northeastern states),” said Scindia.

The events include organising a bankers’ conclave, a Northeast investor summit in March 2025 and a cultural summit in Delhi in November or December this year.

Connectivity to Sikkim is in the doldrums this monsoon.

The Union minister said the under-construction Sevoke-Rangpo railway line is expected to be completed by August 2025.

Sikkim does not yet have railway connectivity. Though the state has an airport in Pakyong, air connectivity is irregular in the state where tourism is the mainstay of the economy. The first flight landed at the airport on
March 10, 2018.

“We also discussed the need to improve air connectivity,” said Scindia.

Following the extensive damage caused by glacial lake outburst on the intervening night of October 3 and 4, 2023, tourism has been hit
hard because of road connectivity issues.

While north Sikkim remains out of bounds for tourists, road connectivity has been hit with National Highway-10 being frequently closed.

Restoration of NH-10 has been hit with sources in Nabanna stating that the Centre has sanctioned only ₹14.13 crore against its proposal of ₹27.05 crore.

The Sikkim government had earlier requested the Centre that the repair of the highway be handed over to a central agency.

The state borders Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Nepal in the west and Bengal in the south. According to the 2011 census, the total population of Sikkim was 6.1 lakh.