Dharamshala: The Federation of Tibetan Co-operatives in India (FTCI) organises three-day 19th annual conference of 15 Tibetan cooperatives in Dharamshala. The inaugural ceremony of the conference was held today at T-Building, CTA in Gangchen Kyishong.
The inaugural event was presided by the heads of the three pillars of democratic Tibetan administration in exile. CTA President Dr Lobsang Sangay was the chief guest of the event while Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, Pema Jungney attended as the special guest. The event was also graced by the presence of Chief Justice Commissioner, Kargyu Dhondup along with the two Justice Commissioners, representatives of the three Autonomous bodies of CTA, Kalons of various CTA departments, members of the standing committee of Tibetan Parliament in exile, secretaries, and other officials.
Vice President Tsewang Tenzin of the Federation of Tibetan cooperatives (Nyamdel) delivered welcome remarks while President Namgyal Tsering presented a yearly brief report on Nyamdel.
President Dr Lobsang Sangay in his key-note address reported on the recently concluded Second Five Fifty Youth forum and other related informative details about CTA’s Five Fifty Vision which he noted is primarily directed towards sustaining Tibetan freedom struggle and preserving Tibetan culture besides resolving the issue of Tibet. One of the key goals of CTA’s vision said President Sangay is to ensure the sustainability of Tibetan settlements in exile, therefore, President assured CTA’s continued commitment and support to Nyamdel in creating a viable Tibetan settlement.
President Sangay apprised the gathering about the community development approach introduced by CTA’s Department of Home and SARD’s planning department called Integrated Settlement Development Plan (ISDP) whose primary purpose is to meet the community-specific needs and challenges while at the same time improve and increase sustainability.
“Our goal and purpose are to ensure optimum utilisation of community resources not only to meet the present needs but to ensure self-reliance of Tibetan communities in the long run,” said President Sangay.
President laid down a few suggestions and made few recommendations in case a cooperative faces crisis or find themselves yielding low outcomes. On a similar note, President Sangay informed the gathering regarding the revised eligibility criteria for the Public Service Commission exams. According to the revised rule, any eligible candidate with or without R.C can sit for PSC exams if the person is the holder of the duly paid green book.
Representative of governing body, Federation of Tibetan Cooperatives in India, MP Pema Delek delivered concluding remarks and thanked all the guests and participants.
Ten Nyamdel Scholarship Winners were also declared through lucky draw at the event following which all the 15 Tibetan cooperatives were awarded Rs 3 lakh each from FTCI annual budget. The event also observed the 50th anniversary of Dekyi Larso Cooperative Society.
Around 70 people attended the inaugural ceremony and the three-day 19th annual conference of 15 Tibetan cooperatives will begin its deliberation from 24-26 August at Hotel Tibet in Mcleodganj, Dharmashala.
