Sikkim has demanded its inclusion as a permanent member in the Brahmaputra Board. Inaugurating the 50th meeting of the Brahmaputra Board today in Gangtok, the Sikkim Flood Control and Irrigation Minister Mr. Dawcho Lepcha regretted that though the Board had been established way back in 1980, Sikkim was included in the Board only in 2005-06 as a special invitee. The Brahmaputra Board, a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Water Resources, had been set up in 1980 for the planning & implementation of measures for the control of flood and bank erosion in Brahmaputra Valley. Its jurisdiction includes both the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys and covers all the States of the North Eastern Region either in full or in part. The Board conducts two meetings annually. Today’s meeting was chaired by Brahmaputra Board Chairman Mr.Rajan Nair.