DHARAMSHALA, March 24: The 3rd session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile today passed the budget of the Dharamshala based Central Tibetan Administration for the fiscal year 2012-2013.
Tibetan lawmakers, on the last day of the current session, passed a budget of INR 104,01,71,818.00 (One hundred and four crore One lakh seventy one thousand eight hundred and eighteen) for the functioning of the CTA and its various office all over the world.
The largest chunk of the budget has been reserved for the social and educational welfare of the Tibetans in exile, while the political offices of the CTA received the second largest share.
The CTA offices providing social welfare services have received INR 56,55,75,750.00, a little over 50 per cent of the total budget. The offices under social welfare services include the Department of Religion and Culture, Health Department, Tibetan Reception Centre, Department of Education and the Department of Home.
With the present Kashag’s policy emphasis on developing education in the exile community, the Education Department and the Sambhota Tibetan Schools Society have been allocated a combined sum of INR 20,48,56,737.00.
The Home Department which is responsible for all the rehabilitation schemes for Tibetans in exile has been allotted INR 20,06,17,932.00
The political offices of the CTA, which includes the Cabinet Secretariat, Department of Security, Department of Information and International Relation and all the representative offices worldwide, have received INR 34,10,96,352.00.
Close to 10 percent of the budget has been earmarked for the administrative services of the CTA while another INR 34,10,96,352.00 has been reserved for legislative purposes.
The fiscal budget for the year 2011-2012 was INR 1,11,93,11,744.00.
In his concluding address, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament, Penpa Tsering acknowledged the constructive debate the parliament witnessed over the 11 days of session from March 14-24.
The ongoing fiery wave of self-immolations and mass protests inside Tibet dominated much of the proceedings of the current parliamentary session.
Tibetan parliamentarians and cabinet members attended the session wearing a black cloth on their arms reading ‘Save Tibet’ as a gesture to show solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet and also to remind the international community of the ongoing crisis inside Tibet.
The Parliament had unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Chinese leadership to immediately end its repressive policies in Tibet, while reiterating its demand to allow an international fact-finding delegation to visit Tibetan areas.
The resolution also urged the Chinese government to release all Tibetan political prisoners and appealed world leaders to impress upon the Chinese government and intervene in the unfolding critical situation inside Tibet.
