By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, MAR 17: The Budget session of the 16 th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE), which has been curtailed to one day due to the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide, began this morning at Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) compound here. The session was convened for a single day, adhering to the set agenda with presentation and finalisation of the annual budget for the year 2020-2021.
Speaker Pema Jungney addressed the session with the agenda along with two unanimous official resolutions of mourning and solidarity; resolution of mourning to condole the demise of Yonten and Geshe Lharampa Tashi Gyaltsen (former member of 12 th TPiE), and resolution of solidarity with the sufferings of Tibetans inside Tibet.
The session approved INR 2700 million budget for offices and departments under the CTA. In an otherwise thoroughly discussed ten-day session, the parliament hurried through the budget with almost no discussion on the specifics. The speaker reiterated the need to strictly follow the budget with an objective to conclude the session in one day.
The district of Kangra, where the residence of Dalai Lama and the exile administration is based, announced on Saturday the implementation of Section 144 due to the outbreak in neighbouring countries. The directive from the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama also announced today that the temple will be closed till Apr 15.
