A Quick Guide to the Government of Sikkim

The Sikkim government, also referred to as the Sikkim state government, is the head governing and supreme authoritative body of Sikkim and all its four districts that come under its jurisdiction. Under the Sikkim government, the Home Department is the most instrumental. It serves itself as a nodal department that functions under the government of the state. Under its governmental authority, it is responsible for coordinating the various departments. The Home Department is also responsible for overseeing the implementation of the total policies of the State government. The important responsibilities and objectives of the Home Department are to maintain law and order, police administration, crime control, administration of justice, internal security, army authorities, and liaison with the Central government and other State governments.

Sections of the Department

All the subjects that the Home Department deals with are further allocated to the four sections – 

• The Administrative section
• Accounts section
• Confidential section
• Protocol section

The Home Department guides each of these departments, issues or enforces certain policies as and when required. All these subjects that come under those policies are handled by the department and are amended from time to time. 

Primary Duties of the Home Department 

• The basic objectives of the Home Department are maintaining law and order in the state, administrative authority over the police, security regarding internal matters, conferring the state Merit-based Awards, both Inter and Intra State or Departmental issues encompassing issues related to Restricted Area permit, Inner Line Permit and Protected Area permit. The vigilance and prisons of the state are also crucial parts of the department. 
• The Home Department’s protocol section vests with the authority to organise all statutory state functions and provides a set of protocols to the visiting delegates, dignitaries, guests, and Council of Ministers. The ceremonial functions of the state include the chief minister, the chief justice, the governor, and the other council of ministers’ swearing-in ceremony. 
• The DKK Bhawan, the Sewa Bhawan, the Sikkim Guest House located in Assam, the Sikkim House, and the New Sikkim House fall under the Home Department’s administrative control. The Home Department also looks after the State Circuit House and the Chintan Bhawan.
• The Sikkim Relief and Rehabilitation Cell and the Rajya Sainik Board come under the administrative authority of the Home Department. Under the administrative control, the Board looks after the well-being of all the servicemen who are currently retired.

Sikkim’s Constitutional Framework

The Legislative Assembly or the Vidhan Sabha allocates the seats to the combined Lepcha and Bhutia populations. It has a total of 32 assembly seats. One seat is reserved for the Lamas (Tibetan Buddhists) and some seats for the scheduled castes’ representatives. The other 31 assembly constituencies are spread over the other districts and form the backbone of the state’s political structure. The final court is the High Court in the judiciary system of Sikkim. From the High Court, appeals can be made to the Supreme Court. The state and district courts handle all the criminal and civil matters.

The state is divided into a small number of districts. Within each, the local headmen serve as liaisons between the district administration and the people. Panchayats or the village councils cater to the villages and implement other welfare programs. 

The Sikkim constitution has provisions to name a governor appointed by the President of India. A Council of Ministers, collectively led by the Chief Minister of Sikkim, helps the Governor function and manage the state’s affairs. 

The Hierarchy in the Sikkim Government

• The Chief Minister – the head of the State’s executive council is the chief minister. Prem Singh Tamang is currently the chief minister. He guides the functions of the council of ministers who are responsible for looking after the various departments of the state’s governance. 
• The Governor –is referred to as the state’s nominated head. The current governor of the state is Ganga Prasad.
• The Speaker and Deputy Speaker –the speaker conducts the proceedings of the house while the deputy speakers assist him in the task. 
• Sikkim Legislative Assembly – 32 members. All of them are chosen from the same number of assembly constituencies, around four districts.
• Sikkim Government Executive – it consists of the council of ministers. The present council constitutes 11 cabinet ministers. 
• National Political Parties – the state follows a democratic system laid down by the constitution. The political parties in the state maintain a strong organisational infrastructure. 
• State and Regional Political Parties – even in the presence of the national political parties in the state, they enjoy much higher popularity and power.
• State Constituency – they are the backbone of the democratic governance of the state. The state constituency comprises 32 assembly constituencies and one parliamentary constituency. 
• Parliamentary Constituency –  this is the most prestigious state constituency. They send a representative to the Lok sabha. 
• Council of Ministers – are responsible for looking after the state’s welfare. They look after several departments of the government. They are helped with their responsibilities by a group of bureaucrats.
• Information Commission – is specially formed by the government to look after the various aspects of the state’s governance.
• Commission for Women –  a regional branch of the national women’s commission. It is a protection committee of human rights that devotes itself to protecting the individual rights of women and children.
• The High Court – is the state judiciary’s apex body. It was granted high court status in 1975 and is located in Gangtok.  It has been the venue for various symposiums and conferences of many representatives from the judiciary across India.

Conclusion

The Government of Sikkim follows the general pattern of state government systems. It has a unicameral legislature, with a governor appointed by the President of the country, a chief minister with his executive powers, and his council of ministers. The leaders have guided the state’s governmental proceedings right from the beginning. The politics in the state is dominated by the charisma of its leaders. For example, Kazi Lhendhup Dorjee, the leader of the Sikkim Congress, won 31 seats and was elected as both the leader of the house and the first chief minister of the state. From 1999 to 2014, the former chief minister, Pawan Kumar Chamling and his party were in power. With the advent of time, the State government and its politics have started to make their presence felt in the Union centre.