Latest news with #NomadSikkim
India Today
4 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Want to work remotely? First village for WFH in Himalayas is ready for you
Yakten, a small village in Sikkim's Pakyong district surrounded by emerald hills, has just been declared India's first Digital Nomad Village. Once known only to its residents, this quiet settlement is now at the heart of a pilot project under the state's Nomad Sikkim initiative, a bid to draw global remote workers into the Himalayas while boosting local project, a collaboration between the Pakyong district administration and NGO Sarvahitey under the 'Nomad Sikkim' initiative, aims to transform select locations, like Yakten, in the Himalayan state into spots for digital professionals from across the country and even abroad. The initiative is also aimed at providing sustainable income opportunities for homestay is a time when India's digital nomad population is growing. According to the 2025 State of Digital Nomads report by Nomad List, about 1.7 million Indians, or roughly 2 percent of the global nomad community, now combine work with travel. A 2022 Deloitte India Workforce and Workplace survey further found that nearly 80% of Indian professionals prefer remote or flexible OF NATURAL BEAUTY SIKKIM MEETS DIGITAL NOMADSYakten offers a cool Himalayan climate, with summer highs around 24 degrees Celsius and winter nights dipping to about 4 degrees are currently 8 homestays with 18 rooms in the village where digital workers can spend months working in peace. For a private homestay with fast Wi-Fi and coworking access, the 6,000 per week plan is ideal for shorter stays. For longer stays, the 15,000-per-month plan offers a dedicated workspace, cultural activities, and full nearest railhead, New Jalpaiguri (NJP), lies about 140 km away, while Bagdogra Airport is 125 km away, and the state capital Gangtok is just 30 km from India's first nomad village."Sikkim has always been a land of natural beauty and rich culture. What Nomad Sikkim is doing is connecting that cultural strength with the global digital economy," the state's Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba told India Today Subba, the Nomad Sikkim initiative is not just another tourist scheme."This is tourism with purpose, where visitors don't just come and go, but become part of the local story, supporting livelihoods and preserving heritage," the representative the founder of NGO Sarvahitey, Prem Prakash, the idea is bigger than just tourism; it is about helping the local communities thrive."With Nomad Sikkim, we're not just offering work-friendly stays in stunning locations; we're building an ecosystem where local communities thrive alongside global talent. Our goal is simple: to make Sikkim the most inclusive and sustainable hub for digital nomads in South Asia," Prem Prakash told India Today Digital. These homestays, surrounded by mountains and lush greenery, offer an escape in sharp contrast to the pollution and bustle of city life. (Image: Prem Prakash) The initiative also addresses a local challenge, which, in a way, is not too local and applies to most tourist destinations across the years, homestay operators have struggled through the long off-season, which stretches nearly half the year. With very few visitors arriving in Yakten between April and September (monsoon in the Eastern Himalayas), incomes often dried initiative now enables homestay owners and allied local sectors to have a steady income all-year NOMADS AS NEW KINDS OF TRAVELLERSNomad Sikkim, by welcoming new kinds of guests to remote work with reliable internet, offers more than a holiday calendar. It lets professionals stay there for months rather than days, while also getting their work done."By opening these homestays to remote professionals, we are transforming local families into digital entrepreneurs and helping them increase their income by three to five times through a regular stream of income throughout the year," District Collector of Pakyong, Rohan Agawane, told India Today idea has already struck a chord online, and people are already in awe of the idea of spending months working in the lap of seeing this! These kinds of nomad villages are exactly what we need more of, especially ones that are actually needed," wrote one person on social media, as word of Yakten's new identity spread. People go to Sikkim for its pristine mountains, monasteries, and rare calm.(Image: Sikkim Tourism) Another person shared their own memory."Was in Sikkim six years ago. Great place, very different from the rest of India I've been to. Not much pollution at all, not much noise, etc. very chill. Highly recommend it," they itself has undergone a remarkable transformation in the last few years, which has aided in its appeal to cut off by poor infrastructure, it now offers high-speed Wi-Fi with dependable backup, uninterrupted power supply, and eight homestays redesigned with work-friendly spaces."It's a village ready to welcome the modern digital worker," Pakyong's DC Agawane YAKTEN'S PILOT PROJECT COULD BECOME A MODEL PROJECTThe project is being treated as a pilot, to be closely monitored for three years. If successful, more villages across Sikkim will be brought under the is set to become a trendsetter for tourist destinations across like Dharamshala, McLeod Ganj, Spiti, and Rishikesh have already become informal hubs for remote workers. With such an initiative, such as the one in Sikkim, more nomad villages could come up in the near future, for professionals from nearby cities to opt Portugal's Madeira has set the benchmark with its Digital Nomad Village in Ponta do Sol, while Ubud in Indonesia's Bali, Chiang Mai in Thailand, and initiatives in Spain and Italy show how remote work is being used worldwide to revive rural economies and reimagine community Yakten, the experiment is just beginning. In the coming days and months, this quiet Sikkimese village will test whether a place once defined by cardamom fields and bird calls can also hum with keyboards and video calls.- Ends
NDTV
15-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Sikkim Declares Yakten As India's First Digital Nomad Village
A remote village in Sikkim's Pakyong district was officially declared India's first 'Digital Nomad Village' on Monday, under the state government's 'Nomad Sikkim' initiative. Yakten village, situated in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas and known for its serene landscapes, has been developed in a way that it can host people who want to work remotely while being surrounded by nature, an official said, adding that the village has a good internet connection as well as nice surroundings. Wi-Fi connectivity across the village, and inverters ensuring uninterrupted power supply - Yakten is a collaboration between the district administration and NGO Sarvahitey under the 'Nomad Sikkim' initiative. "We have ensured that there is a primary internet as well as a backup internet since the terrain is hilly. Due to rains and landslides, the optical fibres get cut, so our internet link also has generators. I think this will be a game changer and the model will be taken up across the northeast," Prem Prakash, CEO, Nomad Sikkim, said. Once isolated due to a lack of infrastructure, Yakten has undergone a major transformation to cater to the needs of modern remote workers, District Collector, Pakyong, Agawane Rohan Ramesh said, adding that it has high-speed Wi-Fi with reliable backup, uninterrupted power supply, and eight work-friendly homestays. "Local transport tie-ups have also been arranged to ensure smooth accessibility for visitors," he said. This project not only aims to provide a refreshing work setting but also to promote local livelihoods by generating year-round income for homestay owners and bring attention to lesser-known regions of Sikkim, the district collector said. The project, a part of the Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang's vision of 'One Family, One Entrepreneur,' is also aimed at bridging income gaps faced by homestay owners, who often take loans to sustain their homestays when the tourist season ends.
The Hindu
14-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Sikkim's Yakten declared India's first digital nomad village
Yakten, a village in Sikkim's Pakyong district, was officially declared India's first digital nomad village on Monday (July 14, 2025). A collaboration between the district administration and NGO Sarvahitey under the 'Nomad Sikkim' initiative, the project aims to transform strategic locations in the Himalayan State into year-round hubs for digital professionals across India and abroad, while ensuring sustainable income opportunities for homestay owners. Officials said the initiative was fuelled by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang's concern over the lack of steady income for homestay operators during the off-season, which may stretch for six months from April-May. 'If we ensure stable internet and electricity, remote workers will come to stay in the serene environs regardless of the season,' Pakyong District Collector Rohan Ramesh said at a function to launch the project. He said the district authorities have installed two internet lines and ensured village-wide Wi-Fi connectivity, apart from providing inverters to maintain uninterrupted electricity. He added that a long-term solution to address water scarcity in the village about 32 km from the State's capital, Gangtok, has been planned under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Gyan Bahadur Subba, the president of Yakten Village Tourism Cooperative Society, hoped the initiative would end the struggle of homestay operators and other service providers to stay afloat. 'Alongside promoting this initiative, the government needs to resolve drinking water and other basic issues,' he told journalists. MLA Pamin Lepcha, who represents Gnathang-Machong constituency, attended the launch programme.
