Watch Live | PM Modi Speaks At Sikkim's Statehood Celebrations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the golden jubilee celebrations of Sikkim's statehood at Paljor Stadium here on Thursday, officials said. This will be Modi's second visit to the Himalayan state as the prime minister.  "PM will attend a programme - Sikkim@50: Where progress meets purpose and nature nurtures growth - on Thursday morning," the officials said.Enjoying protectorate status under the Union of India after the country’s Independence in 1947, Sikkim became an Indian state on May 16, 1975, following a referendum. Hoardings and banners with welcome messages to the prime minister have been put up in the state's capital, Gangtok, and its surrounding areas. During his two-hour visit, the PM will release a commemorative coin, souvenir and stamp to mark the completion of 50 years of Sikkim as a state, the officials said.