Sikkim officially declared as 'Disaster Affected State' by govt

Sikkim has been officially declared as a 'Disaster Affected State' by the government to avail soft loans and other facilities from banks, officials said on Monday.

It will also facilitate funds from international funding agencies such as the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, they said.

Banks and international agencies have been approached by the state government for rebuilding efforts following the large-scale damages to infrastructure during the earthquake of September 18, they said.

This is a requirement stipulated as per the Reserve Bank of India guidelines. The notification was issued on November 21, they said.