Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Wednesday laid the foundation stones of two infrastructure projects in Lachung and Lachen towns.

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He laid the foundation stone of the Maitreya Buddha-cum-cultural complex in Lachen and Guru Rinpoche statue and cultural complex in Lachung, both in North Sikkim.

"The projects will boost tourism in both the places and attract more global visitors in future," the chief minister said.

Tamang hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to transform remote border villages into vibrant villages and said both the towns will benefit significantly from this initiative of the central government.

"The upcoming projects, coupled with the Vibrant Village Programme under the government of India, will contribute significantly to long-term development of these border regions," he said.

The CM said tourism infrastructure projects represent the state government's commitment to preserving the state's culture and traditions, in addition to generating employment opportunities for local youth and aspiring tourism stakeholders.

He appealed to the local people to extend their co-operation and boost tourism in Lachen and Lachung.

To preserve the age-old tradition of yak herding, which faces the threat of extinction due to herders migrating to urban areas, the chief minister announced the annual Yak Festival to be held in either Lachen or Lachung to keep the traditional occupation alive and pass it on to future generations.