Dheradun — The democratically elected Tibetan Prime Minister, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, met with the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat on April 1st during his trip to Dheradun.
Uttarakhand is home to the third largest community of Tibetans in India and hosts several large schools and monasteries, including the seat of Sakya Trizin.
During the meeting, Sikyong congratulated the Chief Minister on his party’s massive victory in the recent state election and offered the Central Tibetan Administration’s warm greetings and wishes for the success of their government.
Sikyong apprised the Chief Minister on the problems being faced by the Tibetans residing in the state, particularly with regard to land agreements, state government schemes, etc. He requested the Chief Minister to adopt the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy Act announced by the central government in 2014.
He further requested the Chief Minister to appoint an advocate to look after the welfare of the Tibetan people in the state.
Sikyong also expressed his deep gratitude to the government and people of Uttarakhand for hosting the Tibetan people since 1959. He recalled the historic bond of friendship shared by the two countries, and highlighted the preservation of ancient Indian knowledge by Tibetans in the form of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Chief Minister assured his government’s continued support on the Tibet issue and promised to look into the challenges faced by the Tibetans in the state. He also shared fond memories of visiting Dharamshala back in 1987 and acknowledged the effectiveness of traditional Tibetan medicine.
The Chief Minister advised the importance of learning fluent Hindi along with the Tibetan language to bolster the Tibetan people’s interaction with locals.
Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay concluded his five-day trip to Dheradun yesterday.
