Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 4: The President of the Central Tibetan Administration, Penpa Tsering, who is currently on a month long tour of Tibetan settlements in the Sirmaur District of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and Delhi revealed plans to construct a new facility for special needs individuals above the age of 18 in South India.
During a public talk on September 30, at the Ngoenga School for Tibetan Children with Special Needs in Dehradun, he highlighted plans to relocate special needs individuals over the age of 18 to a new facility in Hunsur Tibetan settlement, adding that his move would free up space to admit more children with special needs, whose admissions are currently blocked due to the presence of older students.
“Even though we plan to build the proposed facility, it will take a year or two to build the necessary infrastructure. Relocating them will allow us to enroll more children with special needs, as the current situation limits new admissions. This is my plan for the time being,” Tsering stated.
Fulfilling a key campaign promise to visit Tibetan settlements twice during his term, President Tsering’s itinerary includes stops at several Tibetan settlements, regional organisations, old age homes, monasteries, and schools. He visited Poanta Cholsum Tibetan Settlement, Puruwala Sakya Tibetan Settlement, Lakhanwala Tibetan Settlement, Manduwala Tibetan Settlement, Dekyiling Tibetan Settlement, and Tsering Dhondeling Tibetan Settlement over the past week.
In his address to Tibetan residents, Tsering emphasised that his goal of visiting each Tibetan settlement twice during his tenure is to better understand public grievances and address their needs, in line with his Cabinet’s vision paper.
After concluding his current tour in India, he is scheduled to visit European countries of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and the Czech Republic.
