Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Tuesday announced that the state would soon start a drive to recruit 1,000 personnel in the police force, and 50 per cent of them will be women.
The announcement was made on the 48th statehood day, which was held at Chintan Bhawan in state capital Gangtok. Governor Laxman Prasad Acharya, Cabinet minister, MLAs, MPs, among others.
The CM also handed over eight ambulances for the state government colleges, and two mobile laboratory vehicles to Mangan and Gyalshing districts, which would help in reaching medical services to the remote areas of the Himalayan state.
Tamang also announced that the treatment and medicines for cancer patients from BPL families would be made free of cost. He further said that women who are not government employees, the state government would be giving a child maintenance grant of Rs. 5,000 per month for a year for the second childbirth and Rs. 10,000 per month for a year for the third child.
Governor Acharya, congratulating the people of the state on completing 48 years at the 22nd state of India, launched a multimedia database management system, called ‘e-Sankalan’, developed by the Information and Public Relations Department. It will enable structured storage of all archival materials — text, photos, videos, films, books, making those easily accessible for research purposes.
The hill state was a kingdom that was ruled by a hereditary monarchy for about three centuries from the 17th century. In 1950, he became a protectorate of the Government of India. It finally became a full-fledged state of the Indian Union in 1975.
On the Sikkim statehood day, President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi greeted the state on the occasion.
Statehood Day wishes to my sisters and brothers of Sikkim. This is a wonderful state, blessed with exceptional natural beauty and hardworking people. The state has attained immense progress in various areas notably organic farming. I pray for the continuous development of Sikkim,” he said.