US aid cuts hit Tibetan programmes: Tsering
Digital Desk | Washington, Nov 13 (IANS) US funding for Tibetan exile programmes has fallen sharply under the Trump administration's foreign aid cuts, although part of the money has been restored after discussions with American officials, the elected Tibetan political leader Penpa Tsering has told IANS. In an exclusive interview in Washington, the Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said his team was seeking clarity from the State Department over both current assistance and the procedures that would determine funding in coming years. Before the cuts, about $12 million had been allocated for the Central Tibetan Administration and Tibetan communities in exile, he said. Another $2 million came through a refugee and migration programme for health-related needs. Tsering said the latter programme had been cut and foreign assistance suspended as part of broader changes in Washington. But his administration had managed to secure the return of $6.8 million of the previously available support. We managed to get back 6.8 million from last year, he said. He said the reinstated amount was important at a time when many other recipients had struggled to recover funding. The remaining $5 million from the principal allocation had been subject to a rescission, and further decisions would depend on the next budget cycle, he noted. Tsering said proposals for another funding round were due by November 18. Assistance previously associated with the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years was now spread over a longer period, he explained, adding that officials had indicated extensions would also be available under the 2026 budget. The financial uncertainty has been compounded by changes inside the State Department and the closure of the US Agency for International Development, which previously administered several international assistance programmes. Tsering said he had held an extended meeting with State Department leadership and programme officials to understand which offices would oversee Tibetan initiatives, how money would be distributed and what would happen to existing commitments. A separate $10 million had been designated for programmes benefiting Tibetans inside Tibet, he said. Those projects were not managed directly by the Central Tibetan Administration and depended on other implementing organisations. There is another separate 10 million for Tibetans inside Tibet, he said. Tsering said the problem was how the US government could implement the programmes following USAID's closure, especially when operating inside Tibet had become increasingly difficult since 2018. He said his team remained hopeful that Washington would continue assistance, but acknowledged that recovering every dollar of the earlier allocations would be difficult because the administration was focused on cost reductions. His appeal was also political. Tibetan leaders, he said, had long argued that supporting a nonviolent movement cost relatively little compared with conflicts and military interventions. it costs only a few millions to support nonviolence, he said, describing his movement's preference for negotiations with China. Tsering emphasised that Washington was not the Tibetans' only major source of assistance. India, he said, had provided essential support in education, rehabilitation and humanitarian services over decades. Indian government is our biggest support, he said, adding that India's backing went far beyond what could be measured by a single budget line. The Central Tibetan Administration is based in Dharamsala, India, and represents Tibetan communities in exile. It maintains contact with foreign governments and legislators on humanitarian support and Tibetan cultural and religious rights, while seeking a negotiated settlement with Beijing.
ECHS Dharamsala Recruitment 2026
Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS Dharamsala) has released the notification for 3 vacancies, including Medical Officer and Lab Assistant posts. Eligible candidates can submit their offline applications till 24 October 2026. Further details are available at echs.gov.in.
US bipartisan delegation meets Dalai Lama in Dharamsala
Digital Desk | Dharamsala, Sep 30 (IANS) A high-level bipartisan US Congressional delegation led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast met Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at his residence here on Wednesday, against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The delegation comprised Representatives James Gallagher, Jimmy Patronis, Haley Stevens and Shri Thanedar. They were accompanied by Tibetan Prime Minister Penpa Tsering and Jigme Tsering of the New Delhi-based Office of the Dalai Lama. A senior Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) functionary said the meeting sent a message that the international community had not forgotten Tibet. Chinese repressive policies will not go unchallenged, the functionary said. Voice of Tibet, quoting the 91-year-old Dalai Lama in a post on social media platform X, said the Nobel Peace laureate told the delegation that Tibetans around the world placed great hopes in him as they had kept their struggle and traditions alive. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mast said China was among the major issues discussed and expressed concern over what he described as Beijing's transnational repression. The threat from China in terms of transnational repression is far-reaching, Mast said, alleging that China monitors people and sends personnel to other countries to suppress activities it opposes. We believe in freedom and democracy for all of our people. These are fundamental differences between what China represents, what America represents, and what the people of Tibet seek, he added. Mast also said the Dalai Lama considered it important for Trump to meet Xi, describing them as leaders of two of the world's most powerful countries. He added that such a meeting did not diminish the US delegation's opposition to repression of people in China, including Tibetans and Uyghurs. The visit comes amid continuing tensions between Washington and Beijing over a range of issues, including human rights and China's policies in Tibet and Xinjiang. Beijing, which considers the Dalai Lama a 'separatist', had said that it was seriously concerned about the visit of the US lawmakers to Dharamsala. The Dalai Lama has been living in self-imposed exile in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959. Meanwhile, three years after the launch of the first vision paper, Securing Tibet's Future, by the 17th Kashag of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) launched a revised version of the paper here. The paper aims of fostering strong leadership-bureaucratic alignment in fulfilling the CTA's two key responsibilities: seeking an early resolution to the Sino-Tibet conflict and promoting the welfare of the Tibetan community in exile, while also ensuring efficient and effective administrative functioning of the CTA through strengthening its capacity.
The newly announced US legislation, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, targeting Russia is intended to create leverage to help bring the war in Ukraine to an end, US lawmakers said on Tuesday during their visit to Dharamsala, while also stressing the importance of continuing to strengthen the relationship between Washington and New Delhi. US Congressman James Gallagher, a member of the visiting US Congressional delegation to India, said that the legislation was directed at Russia and that the measures were among the pressures being brought to bear with the objective of ending the war in Ukraine. Asked about India's purchase of Russian oil, Gallagher said he had no particular message for India on the issue. We want to ultimately bring that war to an end with Ukraine, and those are some of the different pressures that are brought to bear under the law, Gallagher said. US Congressional delegation is visiting different parts of India as part of their visit a...
Thousands march in Dharamsala, honour Rangzen and demand repeal of Chinas controversial ethnic unity law.
Tibetan govt-in-exile rejects China
Dharamsala, Aug 21 (IANS) The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Tibetan government-in-exile, and the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile jointly organised a prayer meeting and peace march in Dharamsala on Thursday to mark the 49th day since Tibetan activist Lobsang Palden (Lobga Rangzen) made the ultimate sacrifice. The march began at Tsuglagkhang in McLeod Ganj. It concluded at []
