Gangtok, 4 November, 2019: President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday lauded the atmosphere of peace and harmony prevailing in Sikkim in which people practising different religions live peacefully and participate in each other's festivities.

The president was speaking at the 5th convocation of the Sikkim University here.

"It is good to know that the people of all religions in Sikkim live in peace and harmony and participate in each other's festivities with enthusiasm... they (people of Sikkim) have set a great example before their brethren in other parts of India about how to live with harmony and interact with each other," he said.

Kovind also praised Sikkim for emerging as a tourist destination for the people of India and abroad so much so that the tiny Himalayan state, blessed with pristine beauty, is called 'Switzerland of the East.' 

"It is a good thing that Sikkim has got the identity as 'Switzerland of the East'," he said.

The president urged Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang to focus on the development of tourism-related infrastructure for the benefit of tourists.

Mentioning that Sikkim stood sixth on cleanliness index in 2018 under the central flagship programme, Swachh Bharat Mission, the president said that the governor and chief minister of the state deserve kudos for it.

Kovind gave away gold medals and certificates to 11 students and appreciated the Sikkim University for imparting quality higher education to students.

The president hailed the university for setting up a Centre for Endangered Languages to teach Limbu, Lepcha, Bhutia and many such languages.

"It is necessary to protect and preserve the culture and heritage of Sikkim in order to maintain its distinct identity," he said.