Stable and peaceful

Pawan Chamling is the first Chief Minister of the State to speak of "emotional integration" of Sikkim with the national mainstream.

Sikkim is known as a stable and peaceful State, free from all organised criminal activities, terrorism and extremism.

Rural sector: Sikkim allocates 70 per cent of the total Plan budget for the development of rural areas.

It is among the few States in the country that devolve maximum administrative and financial powers to Panchayati Raj institutions.

There is a public library in each panchayat unit.

Ecology: Chamling is the first Chief Minister in the country who has been conferred with the "Greenest Chief Minister" award.

Sikkim ranks first in the field of environmental protection and development. It is among the first States to call for public participation in programmes such as Avenue Plantation, Green Road, Green Villages and Towns.

The State maintains environmental and ecological balance by prohibiting deforestation, grazing in reserve forestland and killing of wild animals and birds.

The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government is the first State government to ban the use of non-biodegradable substances.

Welfare measures: Rice is provided at a subsidised rate of Rs.4 a kilogram to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families and 35 kg of rice is provided to the poorest of the poor free of cost.

Sikkim is among the first States to provide free liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connections and stoves to BPL families.

Chamling himself goes from door to door to distribute benefits through "Janata Mela".

Women's empowerment: Sikkim is the first State to extend all government benefits in the name of the mother of a family.

In Sikkim it is mandatory to write the names of both father and mother in all official documents.

It is the first State that has made it a legal requirement to have the consent of both the husband and the wife while purchasing immovable property.

The State encourages the education of girl children by adopting the "Small Family Scheme" and by opening savings accounts in the names of school-going girls.

The State has been widely commended for maintaining gender equality and for the absence of gender-related violence.

Education: The State government has made education free up to the college level.

The government distributes free books, uniforms, raincoats and school bags in all schools.

The State government spends 17 per cent of its budget expenditure on education.

Sikkim is the only State that has established monastic schools.

Health care: Since August 14, 2001, the State has been providing Hepatitis B vaccination free of cost to children.

The State government provides free health care facilities to all people in the State.

Besides creating a strict legal framework for controlling the misuse of drugs, Sikkim has also earned accolades for prohibiting the sale of products like gutka and paan masala.

Commissions: With a view to channelling youth power as the central force in the development of society and to launch programmes to give effect to this vision, the State pioneered the formation of a State Youth Commission. The State Environmental Commission has been set up to institutionalise the protection and preservation of the fragile mountain ecosystem.

Reservation: The SDF government has provided seat reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in higher education, government and non-government jobs, panchayats and so on.

In Sikkim, even people of higher castes like Brahmins, Chhetris, Newars and Sanyasis have been accorded the status of Other Backward Castes (OBC). Sikkim is the first State to provide reservation in education for the business community.

Others: The State provides governmental help and financial grants to all religious organisations and extends its help in all the festive events of the various ethnic groups.

Sikkim is the only State which provides monthly honorarium to all national Sahitya Akademi awardees.

In its effort to establish the rule of law, Sikkim has brought courts to the doorsteps of the people by way of Lok Adalats even at the block levels.