Press Release
Press Release from Urban Development Department
Information & Public Relations Department
Urban Development Department (UDD), Government of Sikkim, signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) for Climate-Responsive Urban Planning.
Gangtok, March 25, 2026: In a significant step towards advancing climate-resilient urban development in Sikkim, an MoU was signed between the UDD, Government of Sikkim and CSTEP, a leading public policy think tank working on climate, sustainability and technology-driven solutions.
Shri Jitendra Singh Raje, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Urban Development Department, Government of Sikkim and Dr. Jai Asundi, Executive Director, CSTEP, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations. Shri Dinker Gurung, Chief Town Planner, UDD, along with Ms Basundhara Karki, Assistant Town Planner from the Department and Dr. Indu K. Murthy, Dr. Manish Kumar, Dr. Ashutosh Pati and Mr. Mahesh Kalshetty from CSTEP were present during the signing.
The MoU aims to establish a collaborative framework for supporting climate-smart urban planning and risk-informed development in Sikkim, with a focus on hill towns. The partnership will facilitate high-resolution multi-hazard risk assessments, including floods, heat, Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), and landslides, particularly for the Namchi–Jorethang region.
CSTEP’s Adaptation and Risk Analysis (ARA) Group will play a key role in this collaboration by supporting climate-resilient development through risk assessment, adaptation planning, and implementation tracking. Adopting an evidence-based and data-led approach, the initiative will focus on developing strategies to safeguard hill towns from climate-induced risks. The collaboration will also focus on co-designing blue-green infrastructure and ecosystem-based climate adaptation strategies, alongside the development of a Digital Decision Support System (DSS) tool and dashboard to aid integrated climate risk urban planning and governance with cost-benefit analysis. Capacity building and training of State and Urban Local Body (ULB) officials will form a key component of the initiative.
The partnership aligns with the ongoing preparation of the GIS-based Master Plan for the Namchi Planning Area under AMRUT 2.0 and complements the Department’s engagement under the National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management Alliance (NFSSM Alliance) framework. The MoU is non-financial and non-binding in nature, with a validity of three years and is expected to enhance the Department’s technical capacity in climate risk mapping, digital planning tools and institutional preparedness. This collaboration is also aligned with the long-term vision of the State under the “Strategic Urban Vision Document: SK-UD-2047 for Sunaulo and Samridh Sikkim”, which emphasizes climate-responsive, resilient and sustainable urban development.
The signing of this MoU marks another milestone in Sikkim’s commitment to building climate-resilient cities and strengthening urban planning systems through innovative partnerships and data-driven approaches.
Gangtok, March 25, 2026: In a significant step towards advancing climate-resilient urban development in Sikkim, an MoU was signed between the UDD, Government of Sikkim and CSTEP, a leading public policy think tank working on climate, sustainability and technology-driven solutions.
Shri Jitendra Singh Raje, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Urban Development Department, Government of Sikkim and Dr. Jai Asundi, Executive Director, CSTEP, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations. Shri Dinker Gurung, Chief Town Planner, UDD, along with Ms Basundhara Karki, Assistant Town Planner from the Department and Dr. Indu K. Murthy, Dr. Manish Kumar, Dr. Ashutosh Pati and Mr. Mahesh Kalshetty from CSTEP were present during the signing.
The MoU aims to establish a collaborative framework for supporting climate-smart urban planning and risk-informed development in Sikkim, with a focus on hill towns. The partnership will facilitate high-resolution multi-hazard risk assessments, including floods, heat, Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), and landslides, particularly for the Namchi–Jorethang region.
CSTEP’s Adaptation and Risk Analysis (ARA) Group will play a key role in this collaboration by supporting climate-resilient development through risk assessment, adaptation planning, and implementation tracking. Adopting an evidence-based and data-led approach, the initiative will focus on developing strategies to safeguard hill towns from climate-induced risks. The collaboration will also focus on co-designing blue-green infrastructure and ecosystem-based climate adaptation strategies, alongside the development of a Digital Decision Support System (DSS) tool and dashboard to aid integrated climate risk urban planning and governance with cost-benefit analysis. Capacity building and training of State and Urban Local Body (ULB) officials will form a key component of the initiative.
The partnership aligns with the ongoing preparation of the GIS-based Master Plan for the Namchi Planning Area under AMRUT 2.0 and complements the Department’s engagement under the National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management Alliance (NFSSM Alliance) framework. The MoU is non-financial and non-binding in nature, with a validity of three years and is expected to enhance the Department’s technical capacity in climate risk mapping, digital planning tools and institutional preparedness. This collaboration is also aligned with the long-term vision of the State under the “Strategic Urban Vision Document: SK-UD-2047 for Sunaulo and Samridh Sikkim”, which emphasizes climate-responsive, resilient and sustainable urban development.
The signing of this MoU marks another milestone in Sikkim’s commitment to building climate-resilient cities and strengthening urban planning systems through innovative partnerships and data-driven approaches.
