PM Modi to attend Sikkim's statehood celebrations on May 29, inaugurate multiple projects

Gangtok: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend the golden jubilee celebrations of Sikkim's statehood at the Paljor Stadium here on May 29, an official notification said.

Formal invitations have been extended to all officers, from the rank of deputy secretary and under-secretary (and their equivalents) to staff members of various state government departments, PSUs, and central government agencies in Gangtok, the Home Department notification said.

The heads of departments and secretaries have also been directed to ensure the presence of their respective officers and staffers.

A Press Information Bureau (PIB) release on Wednesday said the prime minister will participate in the ‘Sikkim@50: Where Progress Meets Purpose and Nature Nurtures Growth’ programme around 11 am.

“The PM will also lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects in Sikkim. The projects include a new 500-bed district hospital worth over Rs 750 crore in Namchi district, passenger ropeway at Sangachoeling, Pelling in Gyalshing district, statue of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji at Atal Amrit Udyan in Gangtok, among others,” it said.

“He will also release the commemorative coin, souvenir coin and stamp of 50 years of statehood,” the release said.

The Sikkim government has made elaborate security arrangements in and around the state capital for the PM's visit, and advisories have been issued on temporary closure of offices and schools in Gangtok, vehicle movement restrictions and designated pick-up points to facilitate smooth conduct of the event, officials said.