The Himalayan state of Sikkim will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its merger with India on Friday with a Tiranga Yatra in Gangtok, where the participants in the march will also hold national flags in honour of soldiers who led the Operation Sindoor.

The erstwhile kingdom of Sikkim joined the Union of India on May 16, 1975.

Sikkim chief minister P.S. Tamang (Golay) will launch the Tiranga Yatra in the presence of ministers, elected representatives and state government officials. People will take part in the march donning the traditional attire.

“The march will head for the Paljor stadium, where the state-level official programme will commence at 9am. The chief secretary issued an order today (on Thursday), saying all state government officers and employees should join the programme in their traditional attire,” said a source in the state administration.

Governor Om Prakash Mathur will be present at the official programme at the stadium.

Apart from the march, many other events have been lined up in Gangtok and other locations across the state on Friday to celebrate the golden jubilee of Sikkim's statehood.

In Gangtok, the final of the Sikkim Premier League, a football tournament, will be held at the stadium, followed by a show of 500 swarm drones. Singer Lucky Ali will also perform at the stadium on Friday.

The state sports and youth affairs department will organise the Golden Jubilee High Altitude International Marathon on Friday. It will start from the Tsomgo (Chhangu) Lake and end at the Ridge Park in Gangtok, covering a distance of 42.2km.

"The marathon aims to promote fitness and raise awareness of the harmful effects of substance abuse. It will feature open men and women categories with a prize pool of ₹15 lakh,” said an official.

Sources in the government said Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar would visit the state during the celebrations on May 17 and 18.

Chief secretary R. Telang held a meeting at the Tashiling Secretariat in Gangtok on Thursday to take stock of the preparations for Dhankhar's visit.

The Vice-President is scheduled to interact with school and university students and visit the Assembly.

Different government departments and organisations have conducted several events in the past few months to celebrate Sikkim's merger with India.

The state tourism and civil aviation department introduced a heritage walk at Parbing in Namchi district on Thursday. Those joining the walk would visit some key landmarks like the Perbing Samteling monastery, Perbing Guru Chopema Lake, a traditional clay artist’s workshop, and the oldest Sherpa house that was built in 1930.

In Gyalshing district, smart class quiz competitions were held in two schools. The students were also introduced to the Sikkim mentor platform. They can visit www.sikkimmentor.com and request guidance from mentors on professional and other issues.

The Gangtok Municipal Corporation decorated the main market and the MG Marg with national flags. The corporation has appealed to citizens, vendors and business houses in the city to participate in the celebrations and unfurl the national flag at their homes and shops and make decorations with tricolour festoons.