Department of Home

The Department of Home is responsible for all rehabilitation schemes for Tibetan exiles. It looks after 21 agricultural settlements, 11 cluster units, eight agro-industries and four carpet-weaving cooperatives in India. In addition, the department looks after 20 Tibetan settlements and handicraft societies in Nepal and Bhutan.

The department works in close cooperation with the Government of India and international organizations involved in helping Tibetans to improve their lot. Employment generation and promoting self-reliance among the Tibetan populace has been the chief task of the Department since it came into being. People at the grassroots level have the right to either elect their own settlement/welfare officers or request appointees from the Home Department. Thus far, most of the settlements have decided in favour of appointees from the department. However, the CTA is making concerted efforts to encourage people to elect their own grassroots level heads, as this is seen to be an essential milestone on the way to Tibetan political maturity.

The Home Department is also working on a detailed plan to streamline the cooperative societies to make them completely self-reliant. Responsible for buying inputs and marketing the outputs of respective settlements, the cooperatives presently depend on the Home Department for managerial personnel and financial assistance whenever they face the prospect of bankruptcy.

In tandem with other projects, the department plans to replace the existing chemical-oriented farming practice with organic and natural farming.

Vision: Achieve freedom for Tibetans to preserve and perpetuate our unique culture and social values while creating conditions for sustainable economic progress

Development Goal: Making Tibetan settlement-in-exile viable and sustainable

Development Strategies for Tibetans-in-exile:

• Sustainable form of cultivation
• Democratic local governance for greater participation in decision making
• Improving social and economic infrastructures in settlement
• Reforming and strengthening of cooperative Institution
• Creating employment opportunities for the youth
• Poverty alleviation/relief