Speech of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Pawan Chamling at the National Development Council Meeting at  Vigyan Bhawan,  New Delhi  22^nd October, 2011

1.    Respected Hon’ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh ji, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Hon’ble Union Ministers, my fellow Chief Ministers, esteemed Members of Central and State Governments, distinguished invitees and friends.

2.    I bring greetings from the people of Sikkim to the Hon’ble Prime Minister and all the dignitaries present today. As I say this, I also seek to share our anguish and deep sense of loss owing to the recent earthquake that hit Sikkim on September 18. The most devastating in our living memory, the earthquake this time left behind tales of woe and human suffering. We lost precious lives and loss to property and infrastructure was immense.

3.     Sikkim is vulnerable at all times to seismic activity. We have felt tremors in the past but this time round the after effect has been very tragic. With the support of the Central Government, we have launched rebuilding efforts. We will evolve features to take earthquake proofing of all our construction work. We need support from the Central Government, the Geological Survey of India and all related institutions across the country working in the field of seismology. We would emerge as model State in the country in terms of earthquake forecasting, effective disaster management and charting out earthquake resilient development formats.

4.     I feel privileged to be a part of this important meeting of the National Development Council which has been convened to deliberate on the Approach to the 12th Five Year Plan. I would also like to acknowledge that this is the second consecutive five year plan being made under the able guidance of our Prime Minister who is also a competent economist in his own right.

5.      At the outset, I congratulate the Planning Commission for a well drafted and focused Approach Paper.  I am sure that the wide consultations the Planning Commission had with the civil society organizations, business associations and people from the small enterprises, the local representative institutions and Unions including all State Governments while preparing the approach paper will address the key challenges that the Country faces today. We participated in the regional level consultations for the North Eastern State held in Guwahati on 4th-5th July, 2011. The initiative to sensitize the State Governments of North East Region before drawing up the approach based on ground realities is a most welcome step. I am sure, this step will go a long way in addressing the needs of the NER including Sikkim during the 12th Five Year Plan period.

6.     That the Planning Commission has formed a working group on mountains is laudable. This is a process which I believe will institutionalise more holistic and appropriate developmental planning. Mountain States, like Sikkim, will cooperate with this exercise fully.

7.     One other point needs to be mentioned here. BPL projections need to be indexed in a way that it is monitor able on a monthly basis. Furthermore, States that are reducing poverty need to be incentivised. Today we have a system that incentivises poverty rather than moving away from it.

8.     We endorse the growth projections envisaged by the Planning Commission, wherein we are likely to achieve an average GDP growth of around 8.2% over the 11th Plan period which is lower than the 9.0% originally targeted. The approach to the 12th Five Year Plan has proposed reduction of poverty and balanced regional development based on a faster and more inclusive growth during this period. We are in total agreement with the plan document on identified monitorable socio economic targets for enhancement of human wellbeing during the 12th Plan period. We also share the development strategies adopted for growth in agriculture, rural development, energy, transport, health, education and skill development, science & technology, tourism, hospitality, building of economic infrastructure and good governance. The fulfillment of these objectives with dedication, co-ordination, understanding and mutual co-operation, will take the entire country to the next higher level of development.

9.     To achieve annual growth rates of 8.2-9% in the 12th Plan and to double the per capita income will require hard work and firm decisions. It is imperative to achieve the growth rate at the desired level for the States in the North Eastern Region.  Growth and sustainable development will contribute to greater peace and stability in our region. Apart from ensuring faster and more inclusive growth of the economy, active participation of the people in development especially those belonging to the poorer section should be ensured. I assure my full support to the effort made by the Central Government. Sikkim has shown that high growth rate can be achieved when peace is maintained even in border states.

10.  I would like to emphasize on the urgent need to provide more physical, socio-economic development and creation of more infrastructure in the NER in general and Sikkim in particular during the 12th Plan period. This will ensure balanced regional development throughout the country. The Vision 2020 Document for the NER states that there is a need for acceleration in the growth rates of most of the NE States if they are to catch up with the per capita GDP of the country by the year 2020. In order to achieve the targeted growth rate of 9.0% to 9.5% as envisaged, we expect a massive central investment in physical, social and economic infrastructure during the plan period.

The North Eastern Region Vision 2020 has identified four basic deficits viz:-

Ψ              Infrastructure Deficit

Ψ              Resource Deficit

Ψ              A two way deficit of understanding with the rest of the Country

Ψ              and Governance Deficit

11. In order to overcome these deficits, the Vision 2020 has emphasized the need for a complete change in the planning process and has suggested the following strategies:-

Ψ       Participatory Development Strategy;

Ψ       Capacity Building;

Ψ      Augmentation of Infrastructure, particularly connectivity and transport infrastructure including intra-region connectivity;

Ψ      Significant increase in the Central Government allocation for infrastructure in the region including efficient use of funds;

Ψ      Transforming of governance by providing a secure and responsive and market friendly environment.

The State of Sikkim endorses these strategies and seeks financial, technical and administrative support to ameliorate and address these deficits during the 12th Plan.

12. The Government of India has identified remoteness, poor connectivity, hilly and inhospitable terrain, poor infrastructure, sparse population density, shallow markets, lack of skills as major constraints in the NER. In Sikkim, we have small sized villages which are scattered throughout the State, therefore the cost of providing physical and social infrastructure like roads, electricity, health care, potable drinking water etc is very high compared to other states in the country. This calls for higher allocation of resources and higher cost norms for improving the social and physical infrastructure in the State. We submit that this may be addressed through additional plans and programmes. This also affords us an opportunity to build a railway line into the mountains at at heights like what the Chinese have done in Tibet.

13.  We appreciate the concept of Public Private Partnership mode for creation of infrastructure. In Sikkim, we have some power projects under PPP mode which are coming up well. However, this would not hold good for roads and other public utilities. The alternative National Highway connecting Sikkim with the rest of the country must be quickly undertaken by the Border Roads Organization/ Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways. All roads being undertaken under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme of North East (SARDP-NE) Programme in Sikkim must be timely completed. Due to remoteness and our geographical isolation, it is difficult to attract private investment and participation. Therefore, support for infrastructure development programmes in Sikkim should be funded from resources by the Government of India till such time the State is in a better position to stand on its own.

14. The 12th Five Year Plan is based on faster, sustainable, more broad based and inclusive growth. For Sikkim, inclusive growth would mean catching up with the rest of the country on many fronts. The State has well established traditions of community based economic and social organizations and therefore, it should be possible to adopt the concept of inclusive growth in the region. Rising consumption level leads to income generation and job creation but unless a right strategy is adopted, the growth may not be inclusive. We need to adopt the out-of-box approach to fulfill our development needs which may be slightly different from the mainland States, involving fresh development strategies and by involving the people at the grassroot level. This process would make the rural and remote parts of the region more accessible and prosperous.

15.  Though, we have achieved more than the national average in many crucial indicators such as reduction in poverty levels, improvement in health outcomes, universal access for children to education including our continued thrust on livelihood improvement and skill development, we still have miles to go. To achieve total inclusiveness, it will require multiple interventions with new policies and programmes. The thrust would be to bring about attitudinal change which will take time.

16. Our state leads in the tourism sector. Every year the number of domestic and international tourists visiting has been steadily rising. The State has bagged more than eight national and other awards in the tourism sector. Last year, it exceeded the total population of the State. This augurs well for the tourism industry wherein we are evolving policy to penetrate interior Sikkim and villages to spread economic benefit by introducing village tourism, homestay tourism and concepts like Ekant Vas deep into the forest. This sector holds great potential for the youth where they can be gainfully employed.

17.  Our mission is to make Sikkim an all year round eco-tourism destination. Under an externally aided project, the Asian Development Bank is working with the State’s Tourism Department to link up the Buddhist Circuit starting from Lumbini in Nepal connecting Bodhgaya in Bihar. In Sikkim, the route will cover Rumtek and Pemayangtse Monasteries before being linked with Taktsang in Bhutan followed by Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and ultimately culminating in Potala, Lhasa. This is a 28 million dollar project with 20 million dollar as ADB loan and 8 million dollar as State share.  The State’s liability will be to the extent of 10% of the project cost, 90% coming by way of grant from Government of India.

18. We are grooming our manpower through various training programmes within and outside the Country. Young entrepreneurs are being encouraged and promoted to take up tourism trade through village centric tourism trade showcasing our rich socio-cultural wealth. Eco- clean tourism, rural tourism, village tourism, home stays, adventure tourism and culture tourism are our strengths. We will continue to build on these strengths in order to create more avenues for self employment and income generation.

19. Participatory development is based on harnessing the natural resources of the State, therefore our priority is in the primary sector.  Therefore, encompassing development is possible only with improvement in agriculture and allied activities. We have embarked on a strategy for accelerating growth in agriculture. The aim is to increase crop intensity and cultivate short duration crops. We have taken measures to expand area under high yielding variety and to go in for double cropping.  The State Government has taken a decision to go organic in a mission mode as organic agriculture produce has high value and demand which fetches good remuneration. The State aims to produce low volume high value organic farm produce.

20. Under agriculture, horticulture, floriculture and animal husbandry sectors, our aim is to fulfill domestic demand within the State. We expect to achieve self sufficiency in production of milk. The State Government is presently working to reach out to each farming community to promote goatery, piggery, broiler farming on a commercial scale.  We are also promoting trout fish farming on a co-operative basis for larger benefit. Our mission to transform Sikkim into organic state is well documented over the years. Moving one step further, I may recommend that the whole of North East region be declared as organic zone with comprehensive time-bound support coverage from the Central Government.

21. In fact, I venture to submit that we need to bring about basic shift into national thinking in terms of drastic policy thrust to at least fulfill country-based needs and requirements. For example, we still import flowers, fruits, electronics etc. nationally to fulfill country’s market across the states. This calls for certain long term development programs at the national level to fulfill demands within the country. I would like to submit that the Central Government may provide adequate provision under the 12th FYP to support creation of related infrastructure and institution building measures to meet the objective.

22.  The important social sectors i.e health and education including skill development has always received top priority in the State. The existing health infrastructure facilities are being upgraded and steps involving preventive and curative measures with adequate diagnostic for timely detection of ailments are being undertaken.

23. Presently a 1000 bedded multi specialty hospital is under construction in Gangtok. Once completed it will fulfill the ambition of the Government to provide the best medical treatment facility within the State at an affordable cost.

24. We seek to achieve a high educational status at par with the best in the country and eradicate illiteracy. The Chief Minister’s Meritorious Scholarship Programme is sponsoring free education to the promising students at class V level within an outside the State. So far, 150 students have benefitted from this programme. In the coming years this number is expected to increase manifold. This programme will directly benefit the children of the rural areas. The establishment of 4 Universities including one Central University in the State has added a new dimension to the State’s higher education system.

25. As far as skill development and capacity building is concerned, we have initiated the process way back in the year 2003. We have realized that the Government is unable to absorb all the youth in white collar jobs and the coming generation should be able to find self employment in the huge domestic and international job markets. We have established a full-fledged Institute and a Directorate of Capacity Building in the State, in line with the National Skill Development Mission during the 11th Plan. Besides this, we have established one livelihood school one in each constituency which provides vocational training to the youth. Our effort has yielded good results and we have left no stone unturned in embarking on this ambitious programme with an eye on the future generation. The State in times to come will be one of the States in the country where unemployment is negligible and the youth of Sikkim will not only carve a niche in the country but also meet the global challenges of the 21st century.

26. The power sector is of vital importance to the State of Sikkim. With the availability of electricity, the socio-economic condition the people of Sikkim would rise on one hand while on the other hand revenue from export of power will assist in strengthening the State’s revenue based. We have consciously decided to develop the vast hydro power potential of the State. The Central Water Commission, Government of India has assessed the potential to be around 8,000 MW out of which around 2000 MW is in the Micro, Mini and Small hydro category. Remaining 6,000 MW would fall either in the small or mega size hydro scheme. Therefore, we lay major thrust in development of hydro power projects in the State.

27. During the end of the 12th Five Year Plan, the State hopes to achieve installed capacity of 5,500 MW and generate handsome revenue. It is envisaged to develop Micro Mini and Small hydro projects for a total capacity of 1,000 MW.

28. Strengthening infrastructure and connectivity for the region of the NE including Sikkim is most vital. Prosperity cannot be conceptualized without providing the region with world class infrastructure and building a network of connectivity. Therefore, improving connectivity is most important for the entire region. Good transportation networks are necessary to interlink growth potential centres, promote tourism, connect border trade points and which will also support economic social and security needs. Faster movement of goods and people at lower cost is essential to provide impetus to economic activity.

29. Connectivity is therefore the most critical and challenging issue for Sikkim. The onslaught of the monsoons and the frequent disturbance in the neighborhood hampers movement of goods and traffic on National Highway 31A. The sole lifeline of the State. This has a negative impact in Sikkim.  The Border Roads Organization is in the process of improving and widening the National Highway, however, there is still more to be done. At times like now when natural calamities befall us, the need for an alternative highway linking Sikkim to the rest of the country is even more acutely felt. We cannot remain dependent on the one and only link; our lifeline i.e. 31NH. The other alternative route to Siliguri via Chalsa in West Bengal has to be taken up at the earliest. In fact, I venture to propose that all road construction in mountain regions may be made using tunneling duly adopting world class technology found elsewhere in the world. Given the fragile landmass in the mountain states, this will serve many purposes. Environmental impact over ground due to construction will be dramatically minimized and the time taken to reach destinations will be minimized as well. Therefore, my suggestion to the Central Government and the Planning Commission is to actively consider incorporating this construction model in the 12th Five Year Plan as a policy guideline to be followed in all mountain and hill regions.   

30.  By the year 2015, we hope to be connected by rail upto Rangpo, the border town of Sikkim. This national project must be given top priority and further extended upto Nathula along the India-China border. Besides addressing accessibility issue, the railway line at 14000 ft above sea level would stand tall as the pride of nation. The Airport Authority of India supported airport at Pakyong is also expected to be completed by 2012-13.  The air connectivity would give the much needed impetus in placing Sikkim in the air map of the country.

31.  873 Kms. of road is under the Border Roads organization. The roads leading to North Sikkim as well as the National Highway are also under the Border Roads Organisation. The funding pattern for such organizations also need to be revisited so that there is no difficulty in quickly dealing with the road construction and maintenance works by them for all times. These important aspects of connectivity would act as a catalyst to boost the economy of the State.

32. The approach paper has been framed with a view to reconcile growth and development which target the poor and the vulnerable section of the society. The urban and the rural disparity and the consequent migration is to be controlled by vigorous implementation of all the 15 national flagship programmes. The anti-poverty programmes have also been launched with a similar objective which will spur inclusive growth.

33. Under the rural housing scheme, the State has focused on providing a roof over the head of every family member in the State. This is to be achieved by constructing new houses and upgrading the kutcha houses to pucca houses. The scheme will benefit the homeless and the rural poor. The MGNREGA implementation in the State has been a great success. The dhara (spring) vikash programme has been implemented to conserve natural water bodies which originate from the deep aquifers. Modern technology and water harvesting has been introduced in drought prone areas of the State. MGNREGA has helped transform the rural scenario, construction of concrete footpaths to connect rural habitations, construction of minor irrigation channels, playgrounds for children, land leveling and shaping, terrace farming as well as replantation and regeneration of orange ginger and cardamom, the cash crops are some of the rural schemes taken up. Direct monitoring by the Gram Panchayats as well as a system of social audit have enhanced the quality of work.

34.Accelerating the growth in Sikkim to catch up with the rest of the country requires a massive increase in investment as well as a significant improvement in productivity. Acceleration in economic growth will have to come from agriculture, manufacturing and non government service sectors. This calls for significant changes in the development strategy followed so far and the creation of enabling environment for private investment in productive sectors.

35.  Rapid urbanization and migration is a common phenomenon therefore, there is a need for further augmentation of urban facilities. The challenges of urbanization are of concern to the State Government of Sikkim. With the completion of the airport at Pakyong, we expect massive urbanization almost simultaneously. Already Gangtok is bursting at the seams and the city is slowly spreading over to Ranka, the other hillock opposite Gangtok. The State Government would therefore require expertise on urban town planners investment and foresight while tackling to issues relating to urbanization. Besides, Gangtok, the other three major towns of the State are also expanding rapidly. We have involved a Singapore based firm to draw up master plan for these towns including Gangtok and expect the Asian Development Bank and other funding agencies to come forward in assisting the Government of Sikkim in making planned development/urbanization a reality in the State.

36.  Rapid urbanization brings a major issue of waste management. This is a big challenge in a mountain State like Sikkim where land is scarce. The Urban Development Department and the elected urban local bodies are trying their best to cope up with garbage generated each day in Gangtok and other towns.  Limited resources, manpower and technology excaberate the sitaution. I would like to urge this forum that Sikkim would need much assistance in handling waste management.

37. While taking into consideration, the national priorities of Government of India in the approach to the 12th Five Year Plan the Government of Sikkim has accorded the following priorities during the 12th Plan Period.

Ψ      Major improvements in the standard of living

Ψ      Creating a pool of world class human resource

Ψ      Building world class infrastructure and human services.

Ψ      Developing strategies based on natural resources while duly protecting the ecology and environment.

38. Beginning 2010 as part of Mission Statement, we launched some very ambitious Missions with 2015 as our target year. And these were in keeping with the targeted socio-economic objectives as envisaged under the 12th Plan Document. The Missions were very comprehensive in nature and conceptualized with specific aim to garner the region-specific advantages we have. The Missions include the following:

Ψ Total Literate State

Ψ Healthy Sikkim Mission

Ψ Human Resource Development Mission

Ψ Sikkim Poverty Free Mission

Ψ Sikkim Self Reliant Mission

Ψ Sikkim as Producer State

Ψ Social Security Mission

Ψ Sikkim Cooperative Mission

Ψ Sikkim Green Mission

Ψ Eco-tourism destination

Ψ Sikkim Organic Mission

Ψ Sikkim as Kutcha House free State

Ψ Complete Decentralization and devolution

39.We have launched the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Annual & Total Checkup for Healthy Sikkim (CATCH) campaign under Health Sector. This programme provides for compulsory health check up for all our citizens in every village. Mobile units with doctors and paramedics are required to tour and cover all citizens under this campaign annually. This will equip the State with a comprehensive data covering the health profile of each citizen in the State. Similarly, under the Education Sector, the State Government in Sikkim has undertaken some very innovative initiative to enhance compatibility among students and improve their education quality. Our mission to transform all kutcha houses in Sikkim into pucca habitation is a challenging one. This August Body may like to consider some of our innovative programs like the CATCH and the Organic Mission for incorporating in the 12th Plan Document for the entire Country.

40.  While we have been upbeat and very forward looking in terms of making absolute development happen absolutely in Sikkim, we have been rudely shocked by the recent earthquake. I would, therefore, request this August Council for a rebuilding package for Sikkim as follows:-

Ψ      Revive the local economy by providing assistance for agriculture, industries, small business, handicrafts and regenerate livelihood for the people.

Ψ      Provide health support to the people injured by the earthquake on a long-term basis and psychological counseling for the people traumatized by the earthquake.

Ψ      Restore lifeline infrastructure of transport networks and utility infrastructure of power and water supply and reduce their vulnerability to natural disasters.

Ψ      Support gender empowerment through involving women at all stages in the programme implementation.

Ψ      Provide support for the children affected by the earthquake and alleviate social deprivation through an integrated nutrition and education strategy.

Ψ      Evolve a permanent Disaster Relief Plan of Action for the State/Region with appropriate senior level representatives of Army, Border Roads Organization, NDRF, INTACH and other Central Technical Agencies under the Chairmanship of a Senior Officer of the State Government.

Ψ      The National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) Post-Earthquake Reconnaissance Team (PERT) has identified several initiatives that will help Sikkim to effectively manage such disasters in future. We have requested NDMA for setting up a State Institute of Disaster Management (SIDM) in Sikkim. I also take this opportunity to request the Hon’ble Prime Minister once again for setting up a State Institute of Disaster Management (SIDM) with all technical, administrative and financial support from the Government of India and other agencies

Ψ   Implement a comprehensive disaster management programme, improving the disaster preparedness and emergency response capacity of the Government to deal with different types of disasters.

Ψ      Reduce vulnerability through long-term mitigation programmes aimed at watershed management and drought mitigation and improve people’s resilience and food security.

Ψ      Assistance to small, medium and large industries.

Ψ       Assistance to tourism units.

Ψ       Assistance to traders and shop owners.

Ψ       Emergency preparedness and response.

Ψ       Hazard Mapping and Monitoring.

Ψ       Community-based Disaster Mitigation.

41.The Government of Sikkim is in the process of finalizing its long term strategies and programmes for the 12th Five-Year Plan period.  Sikkim has made very good progress over the last couple of plan periods and the scale of development has been well documented and appreciated. Recently, I also undertook state-wide village tour covering all villages in Sikkim to interact with the grass root people and make our programs more effective in tackling many of our issues locally at the grass roots level and chart out long term planning process.

42. Based on my own humble experience and my long association with public services, I venture to promote public participation in all government initiatives duly promoting a sense of ownership among the people. This would entail strengthening of public participation in all our development philosophy with people themselves as the makers of destiny and the architect to develop their Country.

43.  Finally, let me assure the National Development Council of the commitment and dedication of the Government and the people of Sikkim to the process of nation building. Sikkim, as usual, will continue to contribute to national development in its own unique way. We wish to be in the forefront of the national campaign for adequate livelihoods, clean governance and a high growth regime.  I thank the Hon’ble Prime Minister for his recent visit to Sikkim to lend us his helping hand. And also to all other central leaders for their magnanimous presence. I am equally thankful to many of my fellow Chief Ministers from across the Country for their support and ready help.  We look forward to the blessings and total support of the Hon’ble Prime Minister and his able team in the process towards achieving progress with sustainability.

Thank you

         JAI HIND