In news–The Union government has extended ₹40 crore relief to Dalai Lama’s Central Tibetan Committee for another five years, up to fiscal year 2025-26 recently.
About the grant scheme-
- The Union government’s grant scheme provides for an annual grant of ₹8 crore to CTRC to meet the administrative expenses of Settlement Offices and social welfare expenses for Tibetan refugees staying in Tibetan settlements spread across 12 States/UTs in the country.
- In 2015, the NDA government came out with a new policy for the Tibetan refugees and sanctioned a scheme of providing grant-in-aid of ₹40 crore to CTRC for five years to meet the administrative and social welfare activities expenses of 36 Tibetan settlement offices in different States.
About Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC)-
- It was formed in 1981 and registered as Charitable Society under Indian Societies Registration Act of 1860 and effectively acts as the Relief and Development Wing of the Home Department, Central Tibetan Administration.
- The main objective of the committee is to coordinate Individual, Voluntary Agencies and Indian Government’s efforts to rehabilitate and settle Tibetan Refugees.
- It also assists and promotes the upliftment of the poor, needy, backward, underprivileged individuals and making the Tibetan settlement viable and sustainable.
- CTRC members consist of a representative from each 45 settlements, especially India, Nepal and Bhutan, philanthropic organizations and individuals.
- All the CTRC activities are carried out with consent and support from the Board of Directors and approval from TPiE (Tibetan Parliament in Exile).
Tibetan refugees-
- More than one lakh Tibetan refugees are settled in India. Major concentration of the Tibetan refugees is in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir.
- Tibetan emigration has three separate stages. The first stage was in 1959 following the 14th Dalai Lama’s escape to Dharamshala in India, in fear of persecution from China’s People’s Liberation Army.
- The second stage occurred in the 1980s, when China partially opened Tibet to foreigners.
- The third stage began in 1996 and continues today although with less frequency.
- There is considerable social tension between first and second wave refugees, referred to as ‘Shichak Tibetans’ and third wave refugees referred to as ‘Sanjor Tibetans’.
- The government decided to give them asylum as well as assistance towards temporary settlement.
Source: The Hindu
