Press Release
Press Release from Social Welfare Department
Information & Public Relations Department
Meeting Chaired by Hon’ble Chief Minister Discusses Indicators of Backwardness and Demographic Laggardness of Indigenous Ethnic Communities of Sikkim.
Gangtok, 15 December 2025: A meeting was convened under the chairmanship of the Hon’ble Chief Minister at Samman Bhawan, Gangtok, to deliberate on the Indicators of Backwardness and Demographic Laggardness among the Indigenous Ethnic Communities of the Sikkim Himalayan Region. The meeting was held to supplement, strengthen, and substantiate the reports prepared by the Sikkim State High Level Committee (SSHLC) through a scientific, evidence-based, and data-driven approach.
The meeting witnessed the august presence of Hon’ble Ministers, Hon’ble Members of the Legislative Assembly, EIECOS+1 representatives, leaders of community associations, the Secretary-cum-Director General and officers of the Directorate of Economics, Statistics, Monitoring & Evaluation (DESM&E), and the Secretary and officers of the Social Welfare Department.
The programme commenced with a welcome address by Mrs. Sarika Pradhan, IAS, Secretary, Social Welfare Department, followed by the formal submission of the Draft Report (Volumes V and VI) on Indicators of Backwardness and Demographic Laggardness to the Hon’ble Chief Minister by the senior consultants.
A detailed PowerPoint presentation was made by the expert consultants—Shri S. K. Chakrabarti, Retired Additional Registrar General of Citizen Registration, Office of the Registrar General of India; Shri Amitabha Panda, Retired Director General (Statistics), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India; and Shri Debabrata Mukhopadhyay, Retired Deputy Director General, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India—covering the background, methodology, and key findings of the supplementary survey.
The findings and recommendations of the study were subsequently summarised by Prof. Mahendra P. Lama, Emeritus Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of Sikkim, who also outlined the way forward.
Expressing delight at the deliberations, the Hon’ble Chief Minister stated that the study brings to light the plight, aspirations, and long-standing deprivation of the twelve left-out Indigenous Sikkimese ethnic communities, collectively known as the G-12—Bhujel, Gurung, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Kirat Yakha Dewan, Majhi, Manger, Newar, Sanyasi, Sunuwar, and Thami. Despite their immense contribution to Sikkim’s heritage and development, their inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list has remained pending for decades.
It may be recalled that the ethnographic reports (Volumes I to IV) prepared by the SSHLC, constituted by the Government of Sikkim in November 2024, were earlier submitted in August 2025 in New Delhi and have since been approved by the State Cabinet and the Sikkim Legislative Assembly on 12 December 2025. The newly presented Volumes V and VI serve as supporting documents, providing robust statistical and demographic evidence to complement the ethnographic findings.
The study, based on extensive fieldwork, research, and consultations, documents historical disadvantages, protracted deprivation, socio-economic challenges, and the cultural uniqueness of these communities. The findings clearly establish data-driven justification for the inclusion of the G-12 communities in the Scheduled Tribes list, while also highlighting pockets of deprivation even among already recognised communities, underscoring Sikkim’s unique socio-cultural context.
The Hon’ble Chief Minister reaffirmed that the Government of Sikkim will submit the complete set of reports to the Government of India and formally pursue the demand, which has been consistently raised with the Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Hon’ble Union Home Minister.
The event also featured a felicitation ceremony, wherein the Hon’ble Chief Minister felicitated officers of the Social Welfare Department for their exemplary contribution in providing seamless logistical support, effective coordination, and timely assistance to the Committee members during the preparation of the SSHLC reports. The officers felicitated were:
1. Shri Suman Gurung, Special Secretary
2. Shri Thinlay Gyatso Chankapa, Chief Engineer
3. Smt. Bandana Chettri, Additional Secretary
4. Shri Prem Kamal Rai, Joint Secretary
5. Shri Vaishnav Gajmer, Joint Director/IT
6. Smt. Rituja Gajmer, Chief Accounts Officer
7. Smt. Srijana Karkidholi, Assistant Director/IT
8. Dr. Sangay Diki Bhutia, Research Officer
9. Ms. Rhea Pradhan, Welfare Inspector
The Hon’ble Chief Minister concluded by emphasising that this milestone is not merely about recognition, but about securing a brighter and more inclusive future for all Sikkimese communities, honouring the past while confidently embracing the promise of tomorrow.
Gangtok, 15 December 2025: A meeting was convened under the chairmanship of the Hon’ble Chief Minister at Samman Bhawan, Gangtok, to deliberate on the Indicators of Backwardness and Demographic Laggardness among the Indigenous Ethnic Communities of the Sikkim Himalayan Region. The meeting was held to supplement, strengthen, and substantiate the reports prepared by the Sikkim State High Level Committee (SSHLC) through a scientific, evidence-based, and data-driven approach.
The meeting witnessed the august presence of Hon’ble Ministers, Hon’ble Members of the Legislative Assembly, EIECOS+1 representatives, leaders of community associations, the Secretary-cum-Director General and officers of the Directorate of Economics, Statistics, Monitoring & Evaluation (DESM&E), and the Secretary and officers of the Social Welfare Department.
The programme commenced with a welcome address by Mrs. Sarika Pradhan, IAS, Secretary, Social Welfare Department, followed by the formal submission of the Draft Report (Volumes V and VI) on Indicators of Backwardness and Demographic Laggardness to the Hon’ble Chief Minister by the senior consultants.
A detailed PowerPoint presentation was made by the expert consultants—Shri S. K. Chakrabarti, Retired Additional Registrar General of Citizen Registration, Office of the Registrar General of India; Shri Amitabha Panda, Retired Director General (Statistics), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India; and Shri Debabrata Mukhopadhyay, Retired Deputy Director General, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India—covering the background, methodology, and key findings of the supplementary survey.
The findings and recommendations of the study were subsequently summarised by Prof. Mahendra P. Lama, Emeritus Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of Sikkim, who also outlined the way forward.
Expressing delight at the deliberations, the Hon’ble Chief Minister stated that the study brings to light the plight, aspirations, and long-standing deprivation of the twelve left-out Indigenous Sikkimese ethnic communities, collectively known as the G-12—Bhujel, Gurung, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Kirat Yakha Dewan, Majhi, Manger, Newar, Sanyasi, Sunuwar, and Thami. Despite their immense contribution to Sikkim’s heritage and development, their inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list has remained pending for decades.
It may be recalled that the ethnographic reports (Volumes I to IV) prepared by the SSHLC, constituted by the Government of Sikkim in November 2024, were earlier submitted in August 2025 in New Delhi and have since been approved by the State Cabinet and the Sikkim Legislative Assembly on 12 December 2025. The newly presented Volumes V and VI serve as supporting documents, providing robust statistical and demographic evidence to complement the ethnographic findings.
The study, based on extensive fieldwork, research, and consultations, documents historical disadvantages, protracted deprivation, socio-economic challenges, and the cultural uniqueness of these communities. The findings clearly establish data-driven justification for the inclusion of the G-12 communities in the Scheduled Tribes list, while also highlighting pockets of deprivation even among already recognised communities, underscoring Sikkim’s unique socio-cultural context.
The Hon’ble Chief Minister reaffirmed that the Government of Sikkim will submit the complete set of reports to the Government of India and formally pursue the demand, which has been consistently raised with the Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Hon’ble Union Home Minister.
The event also featured a felicitation ceremony, wherein the Hon’ble Chief Minister felicitated officers of the Social Welfare Department for their exemplary contribution in providing seamless logistical support, effective coordination, and timely assistance to the Committee members during the preparation of the SSHLC reports. The officers felicitated were:
1. Shri Suman Gurung, Special Secretary
2. Shri Thinlay Gyatso Chankapa, Chief Engineer
3. Smt. Bandana Chettri, Additional Secretary
4. Shri Prem Kamal Rai, Joint Secretary
5. Shri Vaishnav Gajmer, Joint Director/IT
6. Smt. Rituja Gajmer, Chief Accounts Officer
7. Smt. Srijana Karkidholi, Assistant Director/IT
8. Dr. Sangay Diki Bhutia, Research Officer
9. Ms. Rhea Pradhan, Welfare Inspector
The Hon’ble Chief Minister concluded by emphasising that this milestone is not merely about recognition, but about securing a brighter and more inclusive future for all Sikkimese communities, honouring the past while confidently embracing the promise of tomorrow.
