Press Release
Press Release of Sikkim State High Level Committee issued by Social Welfare Department.
Information & Public Relations Department
3rd Meeting of Sikkim State High Level Committee
The Sikkim State High-Level Committee (SSHLC) convened its third meeting on March 18-19, 2025, at the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) Conference Hall at Kolkata. The meeting focused on peer review of the draft ethnographic reports prepared in collaboration with community members and research assistants who conducted field surveys and gathered secondary data.
The meeting was chaired by Prof. B.V. Sharma, Chairman of SSHLC, and attended by Vice Chairman Prof. Mahendra P. Lama, Shri BS Panth, MLA and Advisor, Excise dept., and other SSHLC members, along with officials from the Social Welfare Department.
Mrs. Sarika Pradhan, Secretary of the Social Welfare Department, welcomed the dignitaries and emphasized the importance of standardizing the reports through a structured peer review process. She urged members to critically analyze the reports, identify gaps, and suggest additional data to enhance their quality.
Prof. B.V. Sharma stressed the need for a rigorous review of the ethnographic work and proposed dividing the committee members into three sub-groups to assess the findings, methodologies, and broader implications of the reports.
Prof. M.P. Lama, Vice Chairman of SSHLC, underscored the importance of documenting the voices, traditions, and lived experiences of the 12 left-out communities seeking inclusion in the ST list. He urged members to focus on developing a comprehensive and well-structured report through critical peer review.
For the Peer Review Process, the SSHLC members were divided into three sub-groups, with each group reviewing the reports of four communities each.
•Day 1: Reviewed reports of six communities, identifying gaps and discussing necessary refinements.
•Day 2: Reviewed reports of the remaining six communities.
Prof. Sharma urged members to provide valuable inputs to strengthen the reports, ensuring clarity and accuracy.
Prof. Mahendra P. Lama made a PowerPoint presentation, outlining the structure and framework for the final reports. Committee members were assigned specific responsibilities based on their expertise to refine the reports for broader dissemination.
The second session on Day 2 included a Zoom meeting with community representatives, ensuring that their perspectives were incorporated. The community members have been requested to submit additional inputs addressing identified gaps by March 21, 2025 to the Member Secretary.
The members also decided that the final SSHLC meeting be held in Gangtok to finalize and submit the final report.
This meeting marked a crucial step in standardizing the ethnographic reports and ensuring their accuracy before final submission. The structured peer review process, combined with community engagement and expert insights, is expected to strengthen the case for ST inclusion for the 12 left-out communities.
The Sikkim State High-Level Committee (SSHLC) convened its third meeting on March 18-19, 2025, at the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) Conference Hall at Kolkata. The meeting focused on peer review of the draft ethnographic reports prepared in collaboration with community members and research assistants who conducted field surveys and gathered secondary data.
The meeting was chaired by Prof. B.V. Sharma, Chairman of SSHLC, and attended by Vice Chairman Prof. Mahendra P. Lama, Shri BS Panth, MLA and Advisor, Excise dept., and other SSHLC members, along with officials from the Social Welfare Department.
Mrs. Sarika Pradhan, Secretary of the Social Welfare Department, welcomed the dignitaries and emphasized the importance of standardizing the reports through a structured peer review process. She urged members to critically analyze the reports, identify gaps, and suggest additional data to enhance their quality.
Prof. B.V. Sharma stressed the need for a rigorous review of the ethnographic work and proposed dividing the committee members into three sub-groups to assess the findings, methodologies, and broader implications of the reports.
Prof. M.P. Lama, Vice Chairman of SSHLC, underscored the importance of documenting the voices, traditions, and lived experiences of the 12 left-out communities seeking inclusion in the ST list. He urged members to focus on developing a comprehensive and well-structured report through critical peer review.
For the Peer Review Process, the SSHLC members were divided into three sub-groups, with each group reviewing the reports of four communities each.
•Day 1: Reviewed reports of six communities, identifying gaps and discussing necessary refinements.
•Day 2: Reviewed reports of the remaining six communities.
Prof. Sharma urged members to provide valuable inputs to strengthen the reports, ensuring clarity and accuracy.
Prof. Mahendra P. Lama made a PowerPoint presentation, outlining the structure and framework for the final reports. Committee members were assigned specific responsibilities based on their expertise to refine the reports for broader dissemination.
The second session on Day 2 included a Zoom meeting with community representatives, ensuring that their perspectives were incorporated. The community members have been requested to submit additional inputs addressing identified gaps by March 21, 2025 to the Member Secretary.
The members also decided that the final SSHLC meeting be held in Gangtok to finalize and submit the final report.
This meeting marked a crucial step in standardizing the ethnographic reports and ensuring their accuracy before final submission. The structured peer review process, combined with community engagement and expert insights, is expected to strengthen the case for ST inclusion for the 12 left-out communities.