‘Golden’ state Sikkim has a sordid underbelly to it – it is the suicide capital of the country.
To tackle the problem, the state government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru. The Chamling government wants to adopt a holistic approach to tackle the “suicide issue” in the state.

The memorandum has been signed by the health care, human services, and family welfare department (HCHSFWD) on behalf of the state government.
The Sikkim Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN) Project for suicide prevention has been launched at Chintan Bhawan in Gangtok. During the launch event, the state chief secretary, AK Srivastava, stressed that everybody should work in tandem so that cases of suicide can be brought down and very soon Sikkim gets rid of the tag – ‘suicide capital of India’.