Sikkim History, Geography, Economy, Polity and Districts

The history of Sikkim has been known since 1642, when Phuntsong Namgyal was declared the first Chogyal (king) of Sikkim. There have been many important events in the history of Sikkim related to tribal rulers, British rule and the incorporation of this state into India. Huh. Before the Lepchas attacked and gained power in the 17th century, this kingdom was ruled by Mon, Nowong and Chang. Sikkim at that time had a monarchy and the most prominent kingdom here was the Chogyal. When the British arrived in India, the dynasty of Sikkim formed an alliance to fight against the Nepalese and Bhutanese who were becoming a threat to Sikkim.

After India gained independence in 1947, Sikkim became a protected state under India. The people of Sikkim wanted more political freedom through democracy, so on April 23, 1975, the Constitution Amendment Bill to make Sikkim a separate state was introduced in the Lok Sabha. It was passed on the same day by a vote of 299-11. At the same time, this bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on 26 April and thus on 15 May 1975, Sikkim officially became the 22nd state of India.

The state of Sikkim has 32 seats in the Legislative Assembly, 01 seat of the Lok (Parliamentary) Assembly and 01 seat of the Rajya Sabha. The Sikkim High Court is the smallest High Court in the country.

The major political parties of the state are Sikkim Democratic Front, Sikkim National Liberation Front, Sikkim Sangram Parishad, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian National Congress.

The state is currently ruled by the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) party. The current Chief Minister of Sikkim is Prem Singh Tamang. He took the position on 27 May 2019. The first person to become the Chief Minister of Sikkim was Qazi Landup Dorji of the Indian National Congress. He was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state on 16 May 1975.

The current Governor of Sikkim is Srinivas Dadasaheb Patil. Srinivasa Dadasaheb Patil was sworn in as the Governor of Sikkim on July 2013.

Several types of mineral substances are also found in the state, mainly copper, quartzite, talc, dolomite and limestone, mica, marble, base metal, graphite, sillimanite, thermal springs, coal, etc.

The Lepcha people of Sikkim do bamboo goods, wooden articles, thread weaving and weaving of gullies very efficiently by traditional methods. Major industries in the state include liquor industry, tea industry, large cardamom industry, food processing, ginger and turmeric industry.

Sikkim's cultural heritage is very rich due to the Lepchas and the mixed tradition of Hinduism and Buddhism that they have together. Western rock music is often heard in non-urban areas in homes and eateries in the state. Hindi music has also made its place among the people. Pure Nepali rock music, and Nepali poetry on western music are also very popular. Football and cricket are the most popular sports here. The masked dance performed by the Lamas in the courtyard of the monastery in Sikkim is the most colorful dance in North-East India. Other folk dances of the state include Lu Khangathmo, Rechungma, Maruni, Limbu or Subba folk dance, folk songs.

The ensemble of Sikkim is quite different from other states of the country. In the state, women wear a blouse above the waist and cover the head with a type of scarf. Most of the men wear tight mirzunuma elevated tunic. They tie a cloth to the waist. Bhotiya men and women wear long tongs. Women of all castes here wear jewelery of gold, turquoise, leaf and all kinds of pearl rings.

According to the 2011 census, Sikkim has a population of 610,577 lakhs. In which the population of men is 323,070 thousand and the population of women is 287,507 thousand. Lepcha is native and native to this place. The Bhutias from the Kham district of Tibet are the second ethnic group of Sikkim. Nepali is the third largest ethnic group in Sikkim and they also have a large population in the state. Some descendants of Tibetans are also found in the northern and eastern parts of the state.

There are mainly two religions widespread in Sikkim, which includes Hinduism and Buddhism. Although some parts of the state also have people from the Christian community who were earlier of Lepcha origin but later converted to religion by the colonial British. Even less than that, the number of people of Muslim community here is the least.

There are a total of 04 districts in the state of Sikkim, the largest district of East Sikkim State by population while the largest district by area is West Sikkim.

Sikkim has the following 04 districts: - East Sikkim, North Sikkim, South Sikkim and West Sikkim.

• In April 2021, the South Korean delegation—comprising senior officials of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), Korea Start-up Centre, K-Sure and Korea India Research & Innovation Center (KRRI)—met Sikkim state minister of tourism & civil aviation and commerce & industries Mr. Bedu Singh Panth to explore the feasibility of investments in multiple sectors in the state.
• The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Sikkim expanded at a high CAGR of 15.86% between 2015-16 and 2019-20.
• In January 2021, Chief Minister Mr. Prem Singh Golay launched ‘Visit Sikkim 2022’, a declaration on year-long tourism promotion and marketing for Sikkim. He emphasized on having tourists in Sikkim for the whole year.
• In the Union Budget 2021, the government allocated funds worth Rs. 1,100 crore to the Sivok – Rangpo project (length: 44.96 kms) in Sikkim.
• As of April 2021, Sikkim had a total installed power generation capacity of 677.83 MW, of which 169.65 MW was under the central sector, state utilities (412.11 MW) and private sector (96.07 MW). Of the total installed power generation capacity, 105.65 MW was contributed by thermal, 520.00 MW by hydro and 52.18 MW by renewable energy.
• The state attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflow worth US$ 6.35 billion during April 2000 and September 2020 according to the data released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

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