Three senior State Civil Service officers of the Social Welfare Department Felicitated

Three senior State Civil Service officers of the Social Welfare Department—Shri Suman Gurung, Special Secretary; Ms. Bandana Chettri, Additional Secretary; and Shri Prem Kamal Rai, Joint Secretary—were felicitated by the Hon’ble Chief Minister for their exemplary contribution in providing seamless logistical support, effective coordination, and timely assistance to the Committee members during the preparation of the Sikkim State High Level Committee (SSHLC) Reports.

Several other officers of the Department were also acknowledged for their valuable support, including Shri Thinlay Gyatso Chankapa, Chief Engineer; Shri Vaishnav Gajmer, Joint Director (IT); Ms. Rituja Gajmer, Chief Accounts Officer; Ms. Srijana Karkidholi, Assistant Director (IT); Dr. Sangay Diki Bhutia, Research Officer; and Ms. Rhea Pradhan, Welfare Inspector.

The meeting was convened on 15th December 2025 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 deliberations were attended by Hon’ble Ministers, Hon’ble Members of the Legislative Assembly, EIECOS+1 representatives, leaders of various 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.

Expressing satisfaction over the deliberations, the Hon’ble Chief Minister observed that the study highlights the socio-economic challenges, aspirations, and long-standing deprivation faced by the twelve left-out Indigenous Sikkimese ethnic communities, collectively referred to as the G-12, namely Bhujel, Gurung, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Kirat Yakha Dewan, Majhi, Manger, Newar, Sanyasi, Sunuwar, and Thami.