Gangtok, Feb 21 (UNI) The North East Industrial Development Scheme of 2018 which has been beneficial for the region in numerous ways should be increased for another 10 years, so the states can further gain from it, Sikkim Chief Minister PS Tamang stressed said during the 6th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog, 2021 via video conference on Saturday.
The concept of Mountain Ports can act as an integrating factor across the mountain system and a hub for the management of various issues like climate change impact, act as a global centre of research on bio-diversity and naturopathy, he pointed out.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers and Governors and Chief Executive Officer of NITI Ayog Amitabh Kant attended the meeting.
He conveyed his gratitude towards the the Prime Minister, Cabinet members for the efficient handling of the pandemic and also thanked the health professionals and security personnel for their selfless dedication and the scientists who were involved in the process of vaccine development.
He applauded the fact that the country was able to develop the vaccine at a record time on such a large scale.
He added that Sikkim has been recovering from the pandemic and has also been able to curb the number of positive cases in the state.
While mentioning some of the achievements in the past year, he talked about turning Sikkim into the Green capital of India and also contributing to the Prime Minister’s target of a 5 trillion economy.
He added that the farmers in the state have been using organic fertilizers, which is sustainable and an environment-friendly method for soil conservation.
Due to this, the farmers in the state have no access to the fertilizer subsidy which is applicable in other states, hence they should also receive some form of incentive which is in line with the national objective of doubling the income of farmers and prioritizing sustenance of the environment.
Tamang stated that Sikkim has a single highway connecting it to the rest of the country and is frequently disrupted owing to various reasons and stressed the need for proper highway and road connectivity due to the sensitive geopolitical location of the State.

Speaking about the New Education Policy 2020, Chief Minister stated that the state is all set to commence the policy and requested for the communication issues to be resolved at the earliest.
He reiterated the fact that the poor internet connection needs to be improved and enhanced from 10 MBPS to at least 1GBPS.
The Chief Minister also requested for the speedy implementation of all the Eight Digital Thrust Areas identified by the 'Digital North East Vision-2022'.

He requested the Prime Minister to consider the points raised by him and welcomed his suggestions and ideas regarding the same. He concluded by saying that India is capable of any achievement and has to lead the way for the greater global good.

Chief Secretary to the Government of Sikkim S. C. Gupta, Secretary to HCM S. D. Dhakal and Secretary Planning and Development R. C. Bhutia were also present in the meeting.

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