SLA passes State Budget 2025-26 CM commits to make Sikkim a poverty-free State

BIJOY GURUNG

GANGTOK, : The Sikkim Legislative Assembly on Friday passed the State Budget 2025-26 amounting to Rs. 16,196 crore with Chief Minister PS Golay recording the SKM government’s pledge to make Sikkim a poverty-free State.

Our government’s developmental and welfare schemes are directly reaching to the people at the grassroots-level and today we have only 2.6% poverty rate in Sikkim...we take a pledge to gradually reduce this poverty rate and make Sikkim a poverty-free State, said the Chief Minister. He was addressing the valedictory session of the four-day Budget session.

In his Budget address earlier, the Chief Minister said the Sikkim government in this fiscal year 2025-26 endeavours to enter into a ‘zero poverty’ and ‘100 percent literacy’ regime in Sikkim.

Sikkim is recognized as the 4^th Best State in poverty alleviation, with only 2.6% of the population below the poverty line.

Speaking at the valedictory session, the Chief Minister said the State Budget 2025-26 represent the government’s commitment for development of rural Sikkim including those living in remote areas. He particularly focussed on the Chief Minister’s assistance schemes and discretionary grants for supporting the needy students and patients of Sikkim.

Through the Chief Minister’s schemes, eight youth of Sikkim are receiving commercial pilot training while 33 students are studying in foreign universities. Similar support is provided to Sikkimese students pursuing MBBS from Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences.

The Chief Minister’s Education Assistance Scheme, launched in 2024-25, provides financial support to students from low-income families for higher and technical education within India and abroad. A totalof 638 students have benefited under this in the last year alone.

Since forming the government in 2019, over 11,000 needy patients of Sikkim have so far received financial support for their medical treatment from the Chief Minister’s medical assistance scheme and discretionary fund. We have spent about Rs. 73.89 crores to financially support the needy patients of Sikkim, informed the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister’s medical assistance scheme introduced in October 2022providessignificant financial support for critical illness treatments outside Sikkim and critical in-patient treatments within the State. A total of 1605 patients were granted financial assistance underthis scheme in the last financial year alone.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s discretionary fund is also supporting clubs, associations, community organisations, and needy individuals since 2019. Financial support amounting to about Rs. 72.99 crore have been extended to them so far.

Golay said all the beneficiaries of the Chief Minister’s discretionary fund and special assistance schemes are paid through cheques to maintain transparency and records. There is no record and accounts on how the Chief Minister’s discretionary funds were utilized in the previous government but our government is extending support through cheques to maintain transparency, he said.

Concluding his valedictory address, Golay dedicated the State Budget 2025-26 to the people of Sikkim and urged all to make the 50^th Statehood Day celebrations, planned to be yearlong, successful.

MLAs Tenzing N Lamtha, Sonam Tshering Venchungpa and Kala Rai also welcomed the State Budget 2025-26 during the valedictory session. They hailed the pro-people and development-oriented measures in the budget under the leadership of Golay.

The concluding day also saw election of committees on Public Accounts and Estimates for the fiscal year 2025-26.

Martam-Rumtek MLA Sonam Tshering Venchungpa was appointed as the chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts while Soreng-Chakung MLA Aditya Golay was appointed as the chairman of the Committee on Estimates.