Logo

Logo

Tibetans urged to keep local concerns in mind before seeking rehabilitation

Asserting that settlement and rehabilitation is the need of the hour, Tibetans were on Friday advised to keep the concerns…

Tibetans urged to keep local concerns in mind before seeking rehabilitation

Tibetan devotees along with parliament members taking part in prayer service. (Photo: SNS)

Asserting that settlement and rehabilitation is the need of the hour, Tibetans were on Friday advised to keep the concerns of locals in mind so as to not create misunderstandings in local population.

Addressing the Administrative Conference of Tibetan Settlement Officers at Mcleodganj in Dharamshala in Kangra district, officiating president Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok said officers should ensure that their services are meaningful and effective during their tenure.

Identifying sustenance of the Tibetan settlements as the need of the hour, he said this issue needs special and immediate attention.

Advertisement

“Material and infrastructure development alone cannot ensure sustenance of the settlements,” he said, while suggesting that they need to look into other aspects such as people’s livelihoods, attitude and aspirations.

He said ‘we need to instill a feeling of happiness and desirability among the residents to make the settlements more attractive to future generations of the Tibetan people’.

He also talked about the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy Act 2014 announced by the government of India and the implementation of the policy by the respective state governments.

“Tibetan settlement officers should contact the local authorities to urge them to implement the policy where the policy is not being implemented currently. However, they should do it in a wise and informed manner, practicing caution so as not to create misunderstandings about the policy among the local populace,” Yuthok said.

Although the state and Central government of India are always supportive of the Tibet issue and the Tibetan people, as a democratic nation they need to address concerns expressed by the local people. So, we should be careful while dealing with these things, he said.

He further talked about the Five Fifty vision of the Central Tibetan Administration and emphasised the need to plan long term.

Most of us won’t be here after 50 years but we have to operate and work in such a way that the positive impact of our cumulative efforts should bear fruit in the next 50 years.

He stressed emphatically on the importance of Tibetan unity particularly the unity of the three traditional provinces of Tibet.

He urged the settlement officers to exert vigorous efforts to ensure Tibetan unity and expressed sadness over recent incidents that exposed the fragility of Tibetan unity and democracy.

“We have an uphill task to maintain the sacred unity,” he said.All the Tibetan settlement officers based in India, Nepal and Bhutan except Lugsum Bylakuppe, Union Home Ministry adviser Amitabh Mathur and authorities from the local Foreigners Registration Office were also present in the conference.

Advertisement