Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh will visit Sikkim's Gangtok and Mangan districts on November 2-3, 2026, to inaugurate and launch projects worth ₹251.56 lakh aimed at strengthening dairy development and livestock infrastructure. The initiatives include inauguration of a microbiology laboratory for Sikkim Milk Union under the National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD), launch of 57 new Dairy Cooperative Societies under White Revolution 2.0, distribution of registration certificates to five newly registered DCSs, and formation of 15 new DCSs in North Sikkim. A traceability initiative for Churpi cheese manufactured in Gangtok and Jorethang will also be unveiled.
The Minister will promote two Fodder Plus Farmer Producer Organisations for Sikkim Milk Union under the Government of India's 10,000 FPO Scheme and unveil new products including organic honey, Niger seed-blended powder, and organic biscuits and sweets made from millets and buckwheat.
Sikkim's dairy sector produced approximately 89.35 thousand metric tonnes of milk with per capita availability of around 352 grams per day during 2024-25. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has released ₹7,093.99 lakh under Rashtriya Gokul Mission since 2014, including a special project worth ₹2,763.92 lakh for development and conservation of indigenous Siri cattle breed. For yak development and conservation, ₹100 lakh was released in 2023-24 and another ₹100 lakh in 2026-27 for procurement of High Genetic Merit yak bulls.
Under NPDD, DAHD has sanctioned nine projects with total outlay of ₹59.60 crore (Central share: ₹54.61 crore), of which ₹53.59 crore has been released and ₹52.61 crore utilized. The National Livestock Mission has provided financial assistance amounting to ₹1,914.39 lakh for fodder production, ₹530.62 lakh for livestock insurance, ₹408.64 lakh for small ruminant and pig breed improvement, and ₹359.80 lakh for training and extension activities from FY 2020-21 to date.