New Delhi, Oct 6: President of India Pranab Mukherjee presented Pawan Kumar Chamling, the fifth and incumbent Chief Minister of India's first organic state, Sikkim, with the prestigious Sustainable Development Leadership Award from on Thursday in New Delhi.

At the ongoing World Sustainable Development Summit organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Mukherjee gave the silver plaque and scroll of the award to Pawan Chamling in recognition of his contribution towards climate change adaptation and sustainable development in the hilly state.

While congratulating Chamling, the President said, "Sikkim is the smallest state of the country yet the most advanced one in terms taking up initiatives towards sustainable development keeping in harmony with climate change requirements. People of this small beautiful land which is organic based has shown immense faith upon Chamling for his endeavour in such desired goals."

Sikkim is the only State in India to have attained the official status of a fully organic state, which it attained in January, 2016 under the leadership of Chamling. Around 75,000 hectares of land in Sikkim has been converted into certified organic farms over the years, following the guidelines prescribed by National Programme for Organic Production. Sikkim contributes around 80,000 million tonnes organic production out of total 1.24 million tonnes of organic production recorded in India.

The president further said, "India shares about 18 percent of the global population but it has only 4 percent of water resources. The country consumes about 6 percent of energy. The threat of climate change is real and deserves immediate attention from the whole world. As a developing country we need an equitable approach towards climate change."

After receiving the award, Chamling said, "It gives me immense pleasure to say that despite a very late inclusion into the Indian territory, Sikkim is the forerunner when it comes to adaptation to climate change and sustainable development and protection of environment. This award is a validation towards our effort."

Sustainable Development Leadership award is conferred by TERI annually on eminent individuals engaged in encouraging global initiatives that can lead the world towards a sustainable future. Pawan Chamling is the 12th recipient of the award.