Net State Domestic Product

Sikkim Human Development Index

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Sikkim Human Development Index

The practice of human development calls for a three-pronged strategy:

Expand opportunities in Sikkim

  • In the human development framework, an equitable expansion of opportunities economic, social, political and cultural is regarded as being essential for ending human poverty.
  • A focus on expanding opportunities for people can ensure that progress can combine growth with inclusion, and social justice with equity.
  • Human poverty can be fundamentally traced to inadequacies and inequalities in the distribution of opportunities, between women and men, across regions, between rural and urban areas, and within communities.

Enhance security in Sikkim

  • Human security is more than the absence of violent conflict. For most people, a feeling of insecurity arises from worries about everyday life.
  • For them, security symbolizes protection from the threat of disease, hunger, unemployment, crime, social conflict, political repression and environmental hazards.
  • Human security complements human development by addressing ‘downside risks’ that threaten survival, healthy life, livelihoods and the dignity of human beings.
  • Promoting human security calls for (i) protection against downside risks—shielding people from acute threats and (ii) empowerment of people to take charge of their own lives.

Promote sustainability in Sikkim

  • Sustainability is a matter of distributional equity—of sharing development opportunities between present and future generations.
  • The strongest argument for protecting the environment today is the ethical need to guarantee to future generations opportunities similar to the ones previous generations have enjoyed.
  • This demands guaranteeing both intra-generational and inter-generational equity.
  • The purpose of sustainable development, therefore, is to create an environment in which all people can expand their capabilities, and opportunities can be enlarged for both present and future generations

Human Development Aspects in Sikkim

  • Human development in Sikkim is a process of enlarging people’s choices. But human development is also the objective, so it is both a process and an outcome.
  • Human development implies that people must influence the processes that shape their lives. In all this, economic growth is an important means to human development, but not the end.
  • Human development is the development of the people through building human capabilities, by the people through active participation in the processes that shape their lives and for the people by improving their lives.
  • It is broader than other approaches, such as the human resource approach, the basic needs approach and the human welfare approach.
  • The composite Human Development Index (HDI) integrates three basic dimensions of human development. Life expectancy at birth reflects the ability to lead a long and healthy life. Mean years of schooling and expected years of schooling reflect the ability to acquire knowledge. And gross national income per capita reflects the ability to achieve a decent standard of living
  • To measure human development more comprehensively, the Human Development Report also presents four other composite indices.
  • The Inequality-adjusted HDI discounts the HDI according to the extent of inequality. The Gender Development Index compares female and male HDI values.
  • The Gender Inequality Index highlights women’s empowerment. And the Multidimensional Poverty Index measures nonincome dimensions of poverty

Human development—a people-centred approach in Sikkim

  • Human development is about acquiring more capabilities and enjoying more opportunities to use those capabilities. With more capabilities and opportunities, people have more choices, and expanding choices is at the core of the human development approach. But human development is also a process.
  • Anchored in human rights, it is linked to human security. And its ultimate objective is to enlarge human freedoms. Human development is development of the people through the building of human resources, for the people through the translation of development benefits in their lives and by the people through active participation in the processes that influence and shape their lives.
  • Income is a means to human development but not an end in itself. The human development approach in the 1990 Human Development Report also introduced a composite index, the Human Development Index (HDI), for assessing achievements in the basic dimensions of human development. Those dimensions of human development are to lead a long and healthy life, measured by life expectancy at birth; to acquire knowledge, measured by mean years of schooling and expected years of schooling; and to achieve a decent standard of living, measured by gross national income per capita.

Life Expectancy at Birth in Sikkim

  • The indicator of life expectancy at birth is used to measure the realised achievement in the health dimension, that is, ‘to be able to live a long life’.
  • The life expectancy at birth denotes the number of years that a child can expect to live at the time of birth, given the agespecific mortality rates in the population.
  • The life expectancy, however, is an indicator of very long-term improvement in health.

Mean Years of Schooling in Sikkim

  • Mean Years of Schooling (MYS) is one of the two indicators used to measure educational achievement in HDRs by UNDP.
  • It replaced the literacy rate as an indicator under the education dimension in 2010. MYS indicates the average number of completed years of education of a country’s population.
  • Usually, MYS is estimated for populations aged 25 years and older, which is also the indicator used in the calculation of the HDI by UNDP

Expected Years of Schooling in Sikkim

  • EYS is a measure of the number of years of schooling a child at the start of his or her education is expected to receive, if current rates of enrolment are maintained throughout the child’s life.

Income Per Capita

  • Income per capita is considered as an ‘indirect’ indicator of human development. The first HDR of UNDP (1990) observes that an indicator of ‘command over resources needed for a decent living’ requires data on access to land, credit, income and other sources.
  • In 2010, instead of GDP per capita, Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is taken as the indicator.
  • For allowing cross-country comparison, the GNI per capita of the countries was adjusted by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) ratios.

 

Some Human Development Aspects in Sikkim

  • By 2009, over 85 per cent of children below two were fully immunized—the highest proportion across Indian states.
  • Institutional delivery rose to 81 per cent by 2011.
  • In 2005–06, Sikkim reported the lowest proportion of under-weight children (20 per cent). Only 3 per cent of children under three were severely under-weight—as against the national average of 19.5 per cent in 2005–06.
  • By 2011, Sikkim reported amongst the lowest percentage of population below the poverty line—8 per cent—across Indian states. In 2004–05, close to 170,000 people lived below the poverty line. By 2011, this number had come down to 51,000—a 70 per cent reduction in the number of poor.
  • Enrolment in primary and upper primary schooling is near universal, with net enrolment ratios being the highest in India.
  • Close to 93 per cent of households have electricity and 100 per cent have a latrine facility within the premises.
  • The sex ratio (number of females per 1,000 males) has improved from 875 in 2001 to 889 in 2011. The child sex ratio (0–6 years) for 2011 is higher at 944, which is also higher than the national average of 914.
  • Inequalities in the distribution of income and consumption have improved between 2004 and 2010. Sikkim registered the lowest Gini coefficient of urban consumption (0.186) across all Indian states in 2009–10.
  • The gap between male and female literacy rates in 2011 was 10 percentage points— 16 points less than in 2001. Sikkim ranks highest among the north-eastern states on its per capita health expenditure, Rs 1,507, which is higher than the all-India figure of Rs 1,201.
  • Sikkim is ranked fourth among all states of India on the Composite Educational Development Index for 2012–13—a significant jump from the 12th position in 2011–12

The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) of Sikkim

  • The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) identifies overlapping deprivations at the household level across the three dimensions of the HDI (living standards, health and education) and shows the average number of poor people and deprivations with which poor households contend.
  • The MPI for Indian states varies from a low of 0.051 in Kerala to a high of 0.479 in Bihar. Sikkim ranked eighth with an MPI value of 0.150.
  • The biggest contribution to this low MPI value has been improvements in health and nutrition.
  • Sikkim features as the ‘best’ in terms of the lowest levels of deprivation attributable to health and nutrition. Equally significant is the progress that Sikkim has made in providing improved sanitation

Income of People of Sikkim

  • In 2012–13, Sikkim reported a per capita income (net state domestic product) of Rs 142,625—the highest among the northeastern states, higher than all states and Union Territories with the exception of Chandigarh and Delhi, and more than double the all India average of Rs 68,757.
  • Between 2004–05 and 2011–12, Sikkim’s real per capita income more than doubled from Rs 26,690 to Rs 70,477.
  • In 2004–05, Sikkim ranked 15th; by 2011–12, Sikkim ranked among the top five states in terms of per capita income.
  • The growth performance of Indian states. Between 2004–05 and 2011–12, Sikkim’s real per capita income grew at an annual average rate of around 15 per cent the highest among Indian states and more than twice the national average of 6.7 per cent per annum.

Employment and jobs of the People of Sikkim

  • Of the total workers, 62 per cent continue to be engaged in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Another 13 per cent of the workers are employed in the secondary sector (mining, manufacturing, electricity, water supply and construction), with more than half of them being employed in construction.
  • The tertiary sector constitutes 26 per cent of the workers. According to the Census 2011, the number of total workers increased from 263,043 in 2001 to 308,138 in 2011 an increase of 17 per cent.
  • A majority (55 per cent) of this increase was in the category of marginal workers. The work participation rate has increased by almost 2 percentage points in the decade 2001–11. Also, among the marginal workers, about 30 per cent were found to be employed for almost three months.

Health Aspect of People of Sikkim

  • Sikkim reported an infant mortality rate of 24 per 1,000 live births in 2012— considerably lower than the national average of 42. Health care in Sikkim is provided almost entirely by the public sector.
  • The state has established a well-functioning primary health care system through a network of two Community Health Centres, 24 Primary Healthcare Centres and 146 sub-centres.
  • Health care is provided, among others, by 273 doctors and nine AYUSH practitioners.
  • This gives an adequate ratio of approximately one doctor per 2,500 population.
  • Except for the Sikkim-Manipal Central Referral Hospital, which provides secondary and tertiary care, there are very few private medical institutions.
  • The state had four district hospitals and 1,560 hospital beds in 2012 or 2.6 beds for 1,000 people. Fourteen PHCs out of 24 were without a medical officer in June 2012; most vacancies were in north and west districts.

Nutrition aspect of People of Sikkim

  • In 2005–06, close to 20 per cent of Sikkim’s children below 5 years were classified as being underweight the lowest in the country against a national figure of around 43 per cent.
  • According to the National Family Health Survey-3 (NFHS-3), only 10 per cent of children born in Sikkim were of low birth weight.
  • According to NFHS-3, four out of five women in Sikkim consume milk or curds at least once a week.

Literacy and education aspects in Sikkim

  • In 1951, Sikkim had an overall literacy rate of less than 7 per cent, with barely 11 per cent of men and 1 per cent of women who could read and write. By 2011, the literacy rate had increased to 82 per cent in 2011 with 87 per cent of men and 76 per cent of women who could read and write.
  • The most developed East district came on top with 85 per cent, followed by South district (82 per cent), West district (79 per cent) and North district (77 per cent). Sikkim has a strong network of 781 government schools, 421 private schools, 71 monastic schools, 25 local body schools, 11 Sanskrit schools and three Islamic schools.
  • The state is also experimenting with alternative and innovative models of education. Sikkim became the second state in India to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Quality Council of India on 27 March 2011 for developing accreditation standards towards quality government schools.
  • Enrolment in primary and upper primary schooling is near universal, with net enrolment ratios being the highest in India.
  • The gender parity index for enrolment in primary classes (I to V) in Sikkim is 0.98 compared to the all-India figure of 0.94. The net enrolment rate (NER) in primary education in Sikkim is encouraging.
  • In 2007–08, 90 per cent children aged 6–10 years were enrolled in Class I–V. Only 10 states and Union Territories are ahead of Sikkim in this category.

Poverty aspect in Sikkim

  • Between 2004–05 and 2011–12, Sikkim recorded a sharp fall in the poverty level—next only to Goa.
  • Latest data released by the Planning Commission says that in Sikkim, the proportion of people below the poverty line (BPL) came down from 30.9 per cent in 2004–05 to 8.19 per cent in 2011–12 an average annual rate of decline of over 17 per cent.
  • The number of people living below poverty line in Sikkim has come down from 1.70 lakh in 2004–05 to 51,000 in 2011–12 and the proportion of the poor in the Himalayan state remains well below the national average.
  • Sikkim has also done well on the poverty gap ratio which reflects the extent to which average consumption of the poor falls below the established poverty line, indicating the depth of poverty.
  • In 2011–12, Sikkim reported a rural poverty gap ratio of 0.96 next only to Goa. In 2011–12, Sikkim reported the lowest urban poverty gap ratio 0.45. Between 2004–05 and 2011–12, the poverty gap ratios fell in both rural and urban Sikkim

Some Basic Fact about Sikkim regarding Human Development

  1. Per capita Income of Sikkim -48937 (2009-10)
  2. Monthly per capita Consumption Expenditure of Sikkim -738.52 (2004-05)
  3. Rural and Urban Monthly per capita Consumption Expenditure of Sikkim -688.53 & 1106.79

Sikkim : Trade and Commerce

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Sikkim : Trade and Commerce

Sikkim is one of the fastest growing states in India. The state has favorable agro-climatic conditions, which support agriculture, horticulture and forestry. As per the state budget 2016-17, Sikkim got certified as first fully organic state in India by the Central Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare as well as other recognized agencies of the country.

Between 2004-05 and 2015-16, Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) expanded at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.44 per cent to US$ 2.75 billion whereas the Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) expanded at a CAGR of 19.11 per cent to US$ 2.33 billion.

The State Government has achieved remarkable progress in the core areas of agriculture, health, education and development in infrastructure. Today, Sikkim is the most talked-about state in the Country.

Sikkim has evolved as a progressive State with marked improvements in socio-economic indicators, despite facing the disadvantages of inadequate connectivity, high cost of infrastructure building and maintenance, difficulty in delivering services to dispersed populations in hilly areas.

People of Sikkim engage in different economic activities, prominent among which are Tourism, Industries, horticulture & agriculture etc. giving rise to a definite occupational structure. Major contributions to the economy are provided by sectors like Agriculture, Horticulture, Forest, Mining, Industries, Power, Tourism, Aqua Culture and  Livestock etc.

Agricultural economy

The state’s economy is largely agrarian, based on the terraced farming of rice and the cultivation of crops such as maize, millet, wheat, oil seeds, pulses, spices, cereals barley, oranges, tea and cardamom.

Agriculture is vital to the progress of Sikkim as more than 64% of the population depends on it for their livelihoods. The Sikkim AGRISNET is an internet-based agriculture information centre to promote scientific agricultural methods and convert research into practice in the agricultural sector. Sikkim has a suitable climate for agricultural and horticultural products. It supports multiple crops; viz., rice, wheat, maize, millet, barley, urad, pea, soya bean, mustard and large cardamom. The surveyed arable land in Sikkim is 109,000 ha, of which only 9.5% is used, this provides a vast untapped potential for development. The state government is also laying emphasis on improving organic farming in the state.

Agriculture is the major economic activity and is practiced on terraced field that has been laboriously created from steep hillsides. There are in all 689 enterprises that have been identified, which are mostly concentrated in rural areas.

Sikkim is the largest producer of cardamom and also boasts to utilize largest area for its cultivation. Tea is exported to USSR & Germany. A coffee plantation has also been started at Majitar.

The  economy broadly depends on the agriculture which provides livelihood to the majority of population in the state. However, it’s progress remained limited due to difficult topography and other natural barriers. As a result all head sectors related to agriculture emerged, government is doing its best to improve the situation.

Horticulture

Horticulture also contributes to the economy of  Sikkim. Large Cardamom, ginger and turmeric are the principal crops while Mandarin orange, guava, mango, banana and so on are the principal fruits grown in the state. The department of Horticulture is deeply involved in motivating and providing technical guidance to local farmers. Sikkim is also a paradise for flowers. Gladioli, anthuriums, lilliums, primulas, rhododendrons, orchids as well as many other floral species thrive here. The state is home to an amazing 450 species of exotic orchids alone. There is immense potential for developing floriculture on a commercial basis here, and the department of Horticulture is making concerted efforts to turn this sector into an export-oriented industry.

Forest

Sikkim has rich bio diversity and thus provides economic activities. The total land area managed by and under administrative control of Forest Department is above 80% of the total geographical area of the state. The composition ranges from tropical Dry Deciduous Forests with Sal and its associates in the valleys of Teesta and Rangit to the Alpine Scrub and Grasslands in high altitudes. During the two last decades Forest Department has laid emphasis on development of fodder and fuel wood in the agriculture fallow lands of the villagers giving priority to plantation of broom grass for fodder and for economic up liftment of the villagers.

Aqua Culture

Pisiculture is an important area of economic activity particularly in the context of enabling the rural people. The state’s natural resources endowments with an extensive network of freshwater rivers, lakes and streams offers conditions which are conducive for development of inland fisheries where a variety of carps and trout’s can thrive. With a view to exploit these natural resources endowments.

Sericulture

Mulberry, muga, eri and  oak-tussar are cultivated in Sikkim. The Sericulture Directorate is responsible for development of sericulture in Sikkim. The sericulture potentiality of Sikkim state has been explored jointly by the State Department and Central Silk Board, through launching a flagship programme titled Catalytic Development Programme. Over the years with consorted efforts from the both ends (state and central governments), considerable success have been achieved by the state sericulture industry in generating employment. Raw silk production in the state increased from 0.20 metric tonnes in 2013-14 to 6.0 metric tonnes in 2015-16.

Livestock

Animal Husbandry provides an additional source of income to the people. Animal husbandry form an extremely important element in the effort to bring about substantial improvements in living standards. The overall area available for agriculture operations is limited to about 15% of the geographical area of the state and with the increasing population, per capita land availability has been consistently declining, it is therefore, essential, that supplementary sources of income should be developed in order to provide not only the much needed support to the rural families but also to make available in increasing quantity, protein rich food items such as milk, egg, and meat. Adequate number of livestock like cattle, buffaloes, pigs, sheep’s, goats, yaks and few other are reared in Sikkim. Yaks are reared in north eastern ranges bordering Tibet, Bhutan and western region bordering Nepal.

Industries and Mining

The Commerce and Industries Department of Sikkim is involved in promoting trade and industry in Sikkim. The Sikkim Industrial Development & Investment Corporation Limited (SIDICO) is the state-level institution engaged in promoting, financing and developing the tiny and small scale industries (SSI) sector in the state.

Brewing, distilling, tanning and watch making are the main industries located in the southern regions of Sikkim. A small mining industry exists in the state, extracting minerals such as copper, dolomite, talc, graphite, quartzite, coal, zinc and lead. Sikkim has identified Rangpo-Gangtok, Melli-Jorethang, Jorethang-Rishi and Ranipool-Gangtok as industrial corridors with provision for giving land to investors on a lease basis.

The units that are engaged in the manufacturing sector are mainly dealing with pharmaceuticals, chemicals, liquors, foam mattresses, food products, iron rods, etc. Sikkim has identified agro-based industries, horticulture and floriculture, minor forest-based industries, animal husbandry and dairy products, tourism-related industries, IT including knowledge-based industries, precision oriented high value-low volume products, hydro-power, tea, education and hospitality as thrust sectors. The Information Technology (IT) Department, Government of Sikkim is in the process of setting up a state-of-the-art IT Park and National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) at Pakyong.

Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical is an emerging industry in Sikkim due to tax incentives offered by the state government as well as low manufacturing and labor costs. Sikkim is home to 14 major pharma companies, which have significant investments in the state. The North-East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy, 2007 and the pollution free atmosphere are highly beneficial for pharma investments in Sikkim. Some of the policy incentives are: 100% excise duty exemption on finished products. 100% income tax exemption. 30% capital investment subsidy on investments in plant and machinery.

The policy of framework in regard to industrialization in Sikkim has to be formulated keeping in mind the particular factors endowments that the state has the limitations in regard to resources, particularly, minerals and industrial raw materials as well as man power. The state is not so rich in mineral resources and apart from the deposits of copper, lead and zinc, no other viable and exploitable mineral deposits have so far been discovered. While on the other hand the state enjoys a tranquil climate, a dust free atmosphere and peaceful industrial entrepreneurial talent, has also to be taken note of. In regard to industrial development, a number of small and medium units have been promoted in the state. For example, The Sikkim Time Corporation (SITCO) and Government Institute of Handicraft and Handlooms.

Mining

The state of Sikkim is endowed with rich geological resources. The department of mines and geology has been responsible for exploration and establishment of mineral resources, with the object of developing commercially exploitable mineral resources. Moderate to fair amount of success has been achieved during the investigation carried out by different agencies in certain sectors namely dolomite, coal, quartzite, graphite, lime stone, silliminite, talc, mineral water, thermal springs, building stone and materials for porcelain.

Tourism

Tourism provides the main thrust to the economy. With the tranquil climate, the natural beauty and the fine cultural heritage of Sikkim, the growth of tourism has immense possibilities. There are large number of places of tourist attraction particularly the snow clad mountains, the lakes and unspoiled forest areas and valleys of flowers. The advantage of having very fine monasteries in Sikkim can also be taken to attract Buddhist tourists from countries like Japan and the South Eastern countries.

Sikkim was the first to promote the concept of eco-tourism, village tourism and home stay tourism in the country. This essential concept promoting man-nature affinity has been recognized as a new model of tourism. Today, Sikkim is already on the national and international tourism map.

Sikkim has been featured and ranked 17th in the New York Times “52 best places to go in 2017”. Similarly, Sikkim has also been featured as the best destination to visit in the world in 2014.

The Year 2017 has been declared as the Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, an area of development in which Sikkim has already made considerable strides with eco-friendly tourism and the development of innovative initiatives such as Chaar Dham and Tathagatha Tsal. Additionally, Gangtok City has been recognized as the safest tourist destination in the country.

Keeping nature at the backdrop, the State Government proposes to promote tourism mainly through nature based tourism. Few activities which are proposed include, Rock Art Sculpture, Folk Healing Center and Yoga Sthan. In the niche Tourism Sector, facilities such as golf courses, water sports etc, are being proposed.

A priority has been given to create mega projects, one example of which is the Sky Walk at Bhaleydunga. The Ropeway to Bhaleydunga, currently under progress is expected to be completed in 2 years time. Today, Sikkim having been featured in leading International Journals and magazines, has become one of the most sought after destinations and caters to all types of tourists. Film tourism is also catching up fast with the support of the government, as many recent film shoots by popular Bollywood artistes in the state takes place.

Through sustainable forest management practices and massive afforestation drives, about 72.60 lakh saplings have been planted till date under the State Government’s flagship programmes such as Smritivan, State Green Mission, Ten Minutes to Earth and Paryavaran Mahotsav. The forest and tree cover of the State has increased by about 4% over the last two decades from 43.95% to 47.80%. The State Government has also banned the use and sale of disposable Styrofoam products, prohibited the burning of tyres, agricultural waste, use of packaged drinking water bottles, bursting of crackers in Sikkim which are first such prohibitions imposed in the entire world.

The declaration of the Khangchendzonga National Park as UNESCO’s World Heritage Site on 17th July, 2016 at Istanbul, Turkey, is a testimony to the tireless efforts of the government. The Khangchendzonga National Park has also been declared as one of the 100 top Green Destinations of the world for the second consecutive time. In addition to this, the State Government is also proposing to develop a world class Biodiversity Park and Ecotourism Centre at Tendong, South Sikkim.

The State Government has now prioritized the construction of a Ropeway from Pelling to Sangacholing Monastery in West Sikkim connecting the landmark statue of Lord Chenrezig, that is near completion, to Pelling. This project along with the Statue of Lord Chenrezig would be a great value addition to tourism in boosting tourism footfall in the State. The boost in the tourist footfall is very encouraging as Sikkim hosted over 8 lakhs tourists in 2016 alone.

Major initiatives taken by the government to promote economy of the state

The state government launched Sikkim AGRISNET, an internet-based agriculture information centre, to promote scientific agricultural methods and convert research into practice in the agricultural sector.

The Government of Sikkim has placed information technology high on its agenda. The budget allocation for information and broadcasting is expected to be US$ 0.96 million during 2015-16.

Pharmaceutical is an emerging industry in Sikkim due to tax incentives offered by the state government as well as low manufacturing and labour costs. Sikkim is home to 14 major pharma companies, which have significant investments in the state. These include Cipla, Sun Pharma, ZydusCadila, Alembic, IPCA, Alkem Lab, Intas Pharma, Torrent Pharma and Unichem.

The Sikkim government has announced a technical collaboration with floriculturists from the Netherlands and Thailand to develop the state’s potential in floriculture and market cut flowers from the state globally.

The Department of Information Technology, Government of Sikkim is in the process of setting up an IT park and National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) at Pakyong. The IT Park will have state-of-the-art facilities that will offer a plug and play environment and cater to the specific needs of the information technology and business process outsourcing (BPO) segments.

In order to give a boost to handloom and handicrafts sector, the Government of Sikkim has been making several efforts, which include providing training to upgrade the quality and designs of the products; bringing expertise and professionals for their marketing and supply, etc.

The Sikkim Government plans to set up Tea Development Corporation of Sikkim, which would be the nodal agency for developing the tea Industry in Sikkim. It would work to expand the Temi tea estates in the state and acquire new gardens either wholly or partially owned by the government.

The Sikkim Manipal University (SMU), a partnership between the Government of Sikkim and Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), provides technical, healthcare and science education. It is rated as one of the top universities in the country.

The State Government is very concerned with the youth populace and therefore, has laid special emphasis to skill the youth and to make them employable and self-dependent so that they can lead a life of self-respect and confidence. A separate Department of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Capacity Building therefore has been setup with its network of the State Institute of Capacity Building, Livelihood schools, Industrial Training Institutes, Kaushal Kendras and Incubation Centres for skilling the youth. These initiatives aim at creating opportunities for self-employment, for industrial wage employment, and community based employment as Social Entrepreneurs.

Till December 2016, a total number of 10,151 trainees have been trained in sectors such as Beauty & Wellness, Tourism & Hospitality, Apparel, Homestay, Driver cum Tour Guide, Primary Teacher Training etc. An Atal incubation centre has been approved by the Ministry of Skill Development in Assam Lingzey. Two more incubation projects for the distillation of lemon grass oil has been set up in Kerabari, South Sikkim, and Timberbong, West Sikkim, under the Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.