GANGTOK: Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay inaugurated the Scheduled Caste Bhawan on the special occasion of 134th Birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar here at Development area, Gangtok today.
The construction of the Scheduled Caste Bhawan which began on June 2017 saw its completion on March 2025. The seven story infrastructure boasts various state of the art facilities like basement with parking facility, vocational room, male & female dormitory, kitchen hall with pantry, VIP longue and elevator facility. The bhawan is also equipped with multiple halls wherein various functions can take place.
The Chief Minister in his address applauded the contributions of Dr BR Ambedkar towards upliftment of the Scheduled Caste community and towards the country through his selfless effort.
Speaking on the new SC Bhawan, the Chief Minister said that the members of the community should have spirit of ownership towards Bhawan, otherwise it will become a mere concrete structure. He thanked the efforts of All Sikkim Scheduled Caste Welfare Association (ASSCWA) for bringing their vision of having their own building come to fruitition. Touching the subject of maintenance of the building, he encouraged the executive members to commercialise the building by renting it for various departmental programmes to generate fund.
Speaking on the context of various communities in Sikkim, the Chief Minister said that his administration has completed all the pending construction of buildings of various communities in Sikkim. He further assured that this attitude of the Government towards preservation of culture of various ethnic communities in Sikkim will continue in the near future. The Chief Minister assured the gathering that his administration will leave no stone unturned in supporting students for board examinations and civil service examinations.
The Chief Minister announced various initiatives aimed at uplifting the Scheduled Caste community:
• An annual grant-in-aid of Rs 10 lakh will be provided to the Association under the Chief Minister’s Discretionary Grant (CMDG) starting this year.
• Five additional seats under the Chief Minister’s Meritorious Scholarship Scheme (CMMS) will be reserved exclusively for Scheduled Caste students from underprivileged backgrounds.
In his concluding remarks, the Chief Minister assured the members of ASSCWA that his Government will support them in all their endeavours and hoped that the Scheduled Caste Bhawan will be more than concrete structure in the coming days.
Area MLA Zoom Salghari-cum-Advisor Transport Department, Madan Cintury thanked the Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Area MLA and distinguished guests for their unwavering support in construction of the Scheduled Caste Bahwan on behalf of All Sikkim Scheduled Caste Welfare Association (ASSCWA). Further, he thanked the Chief Minister for his continual support towards Scheduled Caste community and hailed him as the messiah of underprivileged section of the society.
President ASSCWA, Bikash Sunam in his brief address gave detailed report on history of the construction of the building. He highlighted various uplifting initiatives taken by the Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang. In his address, he also mentioned the Officers and members of ASSCWA who strived hard for completion of the Scheduled Caste bhawan.
- IPR Report
