Gangtok, May 7 (IANS) Preventive health checks! The exclusive preserve of the affluent in most parts of India but not in the hill state of Sikkim where the government-backed Comprehensive Annual and Total Check-up for Healthy (CATCH) programme aims to reach out to people even in the remotest areas. The state's unique initiative, a slow yet sure way towards a healthier Sikkim, promises to "catch" any health problems even before they occur.
* VISION: To make Sikkim the healthiest state in India; * MISSION: Meet objectives, execute strategies and carry out activities to make Sikkim healthy; * COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION: Involve the community and sensitise them about health issues.
Gangtok, May 4 (IANS) Sikkim, with a population of less than 600,000, is all set to be a major hub of sporting activity in the country as Chief Minister Pawan Chamling inaugurated a newly built Khel Gaon at Reshithang, East Sikkim. Inaugurated Friday evening, the stadium is built on 10.6 acres of land, and funded by the union urban development ministry. A state of art sports complex, it has an international size athletics ground; the tracks are made of material imported from Holland
Gangtok/Namchi, March 3 (IANS) On the table, the old and the new vie for attention in the small but fast-changing border state of Sikkim. Tranformation is the slogan on the culinary billboard, as youngsters here open their arms to influences from the rest of the country.
Gangtok, March 2 (IANS) Former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia opened his gym, the BB15 Fitness Studio, here Saturday. The BB15 Fitness Studio is the first such in the northeast, Bhutia said in the statement.
Pakyang/Gangtok, Ma Mar 1 (IANS) The flowers light up patches of the dense green forests in elegant huddles of yellow, ochre, mauve, powder blue and lemony green on slopes 5,000 feet above sea level. Described as the "natural glory" of the Himalayan state of Sikkim, the Cymbidium orchid is increasingly being projected as the state's flori-sustenance - the heartbeat of its booming flower trade. The Cymbidium is the most common species of orchids that survive extremes of nature to live longer as cut flowers (with nipped stalks) in the vase in Sikkim and other northeastern states, home to nearly 600 varieties of wild orchids
Gangtok, Feb 27 (IANS) Sikkim is pushing its tourism envelope with a combination of nature and spirituality to preserve the essence of its Himalayan heritage and make a statement of sustainable growth in this age of manic concretisation of the fragile hill environment. Sample this: Laid out across 23 acres of lush slopes against a startling backdrop of the icy Kanchenjunga and the Maenam hills range in southern Sikkim's Rabongla district shines the state's newest tourism address - the Tathagata Tsal or the Buddha Park, nearly 65 km from Gangtok
Gangtok, Feb 25 (IANS) Greener, bigger, fresher and more wholesome than elsewhere in the country - that's how vegetables appear here, in the manicured Saramsa Gardens, the venue of the Sikkim International Flower Show, 2013. Rows upon rows of potted vegetables flourish in what is described as the state's organic stomach. Tomatoes, dwarf red peppers (jolokia), chinese cabbage, Indian cabbage, green lettuce, red lettuce, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, beetroot, turnips, 60 varieties of locally-grown rice, ginger, cardamom, grains, oranges and bananas all point to a target well within reach - this eastern Himalayan state is set to achieve "complete organic agriculture status" by
Gangtok, Feb 24 (IANS) Daisy, pansies, peonies, exotic seasonal blooms and orchids are the colours of this picture-postcard capital of this Himalayan state that opened its door to visitors with the inauguration of the International Flower Show 2013. Nearly 80 exhibitors, including eight foreign ones from Europe and US, are taking part in the five-day show (Feb 23-27) that aims to push Sikkim's flower power as a potential tourism and revenue generating option to the world
Gangtok, Feb 23 (IANS) Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan K. Chamling said Saturday the state has changed the conventional perception about a border state being "traditionally troubled" with good governance, peaceful development and a "general sense of happiness" of its 600,000 people. "The general idea has always been that how can a border state be peaceful, development oriented and progressive?
