In March 2025, Chief Minister (CM) of Sikkim, also the Minister-in-Charge of the Finance Department, Prem Singh Tamang, recently presented the Annual General Budget for the Financial Year 2025-26 (FY26), amounting to ₹16,196 crore, focusing on eradicating poverty and achieving total literacy.
- A key feature of the budget is the allocation of ₹2,896 crore under Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), aimed at maximizing central funding for crucial developmental projects in Sikkim.
- For FY26, the state government has planned ₹11,028 crore for Revenue Expenditure (RE) and ₹5,168 crore for capital investment.
- The state will generate revenue from multiple sources. The Centre's devolution of taxes is estimated at ₹5,519 crore, while grants and aids will add ₹2,600 crore.
Main Point :-
(i) The government has allocated ₹17,303 crore for education, sports, and arts to enhance learning, promote sports, and support cultural programs.
(ii) A total of ₹7,195 crore (6% of Budget) has been set aside for healthcare, ensuring better medical facilities and services. The funds will be used for purchasing new hospital equipment, upgrading specialty wards, and enhancing medical infrastructure.
(iii) A total of ₹10,741 crore (8% of Budget) has been allocated to improve water supply and sanitation facilities across the state. This includes dedicated projects such as the water supply to Mangalbaria block from Sapley Source at Upper Resikhola, Sribadam in Soreng district of Sikkim.
About Sikkim
Chief minister: Prem Singh Tamang
Capital: Gangtok
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Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh inaugurates India's inaugural Organic Fisheries Cluster in Sikkim.
In January 2025, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (MoFAH&D) and Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), Rajiv Ranjan Singh (also known as Lalan Singh), introduced India’s first Organic Fisheries Cluster in Soreng district, Sikkim, during the North Eastern Region (NER) State Meet 2025, held in Guwahati, Assam.
- The National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) plays a key role in developing the organic fisheries cluster in Sikkim.
- This initiative focuses on promoting fish farming using organic methods, which avoid harmful chemicals and support environmentally friendly practices.
- The goal of these projects is to improve the competitiveness of the fisheries sector.
Main Point :-
(i) The initiative was launched with the presence of Ministers of State (MoS) Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel and George Kurian from MoFAH&D.
(ii) Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh also launched 50 new projects under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), with a total investment of Rs 50 crores, benefiting all states in the North Eastern Region, except Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.
(iii) In 2016, Sikkim became India's first state to be fully certified as organic.
About Sikkim
Chief minister: Prem Singh Tamang
Governor: Om Prakash Mathur
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Sikkim recently celebrated the Annual Kagyad Dance Festival in Gangtok.
Sikkim celebrated the annual Kagyad Dance festival with great enthusiasm at Tsuklakhang Palace in Gangtok, honoring the eight Tantric deities known as Kagyad.
- The festival, observed on the 28th and 29th days of the 10th month in the Tibetan calendar (December), is a unique Buddhist event.
- The festival is primarily celebrated by Buddhists in monasteries, including the Old Rumtek Monastery, Phodong Monastery, and Tshuklakhang Palace.
Main Point :-
(i) Monks, dressed in traditional attire with ceremonial swords and masks, perform graceful dances to the rhythm of drums and trumpets, depicting stories from Buddhist mythology, particularly those of Guru Padmasambhava, who introduced Buddhism to Sikkim.
(ii) Sakewa Silior is another dance form specific to the Kirat Rai (Khambu) community of the Eastern Himalayan region, found in Nepal, Bhutan, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Sikkim, and Northeast India. This dance mimics the movements and sounds of birds, animals, and nature, holding significant cultural meaning.
About Sikkim
Chief minister: Prem Singh Tamang
Governor: Om Prakash Mathur
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