Budget Session of the Tibetan Parliament Begins

Dharamshala: The budget session for the financial year 2019-2020 of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile began today. This is the 7th session of the 16th Tibetan Parliament.

This year’s budget session will witness the presentation of the Central Tibetan Administration’s annual budget proposal by Kalon Karma Yeshi, Department of Finance, presentation of a report by the Budget Estimate Committee of Tibetan Parliament on the consolidated budget proposal of the Finance department and presentation of the Ninth Public Accounts Committee.

Inaugurating the first-day session earlier today, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile Pema Jungney appealed the 43-participating Members to engage in a productive and fruitful discussion with the interest of the six million Tibetans in the heart.

As elected representatives of the people, he reminded that their participation must reflect the views and sentiments of the people.

“The onus is on us to ensure that our parliamentary discourse serves the greater cause and is valued and appreciated by Tibetans worldwide,” said the Speaker.

The inaugural session of the parliament unanimously proposed six official resolutions of mourning to condole the demise of supreme head of Nyingma tradition Kathok Getse Rinpoche; Tibetan self-immolator Dopo; former Speaker of Tibetan Parliament Lodi Gyari Rinpoche; former Member of Tibetan Parliament Dakpa Namgyal; former Indian defence minister and prominent Tibet supporter George Fernandes; former US President George HW Bush. It also proposed an official resolution of solidarity with the sufferings of Tibetans inside Tibet and 153 Tibetan self-immolators, including the latest self-immolator Dopo.

This session of the parliament will discuss and approve the budget of the Central Tibetan Administration for the year 2019-20. It will conclude on 29 March.