The Gorkhaland SENSE Report presents an integrated analysis of the environment, society, and economy of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) region, covering Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, and proposes Hariyo Bhariyo Swaraj as a new vision for sustainable and inclusive regional development.
The report identifies a deepening triple crisis—environmental, social, and economic. Ecologically, the region faces declining water security, forest degradation, land stress, biodiversity loss, and increasing climate-induced risks such as landslides and extreme rainfall. These vulnerabilities are amplified by unplanned urbanisation, tourism pressures, and fragile mountain ecosystems.
Socially, the study highlights constraints in healthcare access, education quality, and institutional capacity, alongside challenges of governance in a semi-autonomous administrative context.
Economically, over-dependence on tea, tourism, and informal employment has resulted in livelihood insecurity, limited diversification, and workforce vulnerability.
To address these interconnected challenges, the report advances Hariyo Bhariyo Swaraj—a vision rooted in ecological balance, human well-being, and democratic self-governance. It operationalises this through a NEW strategy: Nature regeneration (jal, jangal, jameen, jalvayu), Enabling human, social and institutional development, and Well-th creation through socially and environmentally responsible entrepreneurship and community-owned enterprises.
The report concludes with a call to action for communities, civil society, local institutions, and governments to collectively invest in regeneration, social cohesion, and sustainable livelihoods to secure a green, prosperous, and self-governing future for the GTA region.
Key Words: Gorkhaland, GTA Region, Water, Forests, Land, Climate Change, Triple Crisis, Hariyo Bhariyo Swaraj, NEW Strategy, Well-th, Self-Governance.
Status of the Environment, Society and Economy of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Region and a New Vision and Strategy for the Progress of the Region
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