Himalayan Times (1962)

Six

Himalayan Times

July 22, 1962

TIBETAN REFUGEES IN INDIA mJLST§& .

gees on land in NKFA

Problems of Rehabilitation and Settlement hea reoently been sane

" u . ■ tioned. These settlement*

Tibetan refugees in in the bill areas of U P., will be in eelf-oontaioed
India number approxima- Himaohal Pradesh and village* of about 76 fa-
tal? 33,200 and the (.Jo- the Punjab. miliaa aaoh with necessary
Ternment of India have xbe Government of medical, aduoational and
•o far apent nearly Re. i„dia have been mindful other facilities.
1,08,00,000 on their re- 0f not keeping the Tibe- The Government of
habituation. tan refugees on any kind India are also oootsmpla-

The (nflnex, whioh of permanent dole. Theae ting the settlement of

started in May, 1951, still refugesa have been used 4,000 refugees in agrioul-

ountinues, although on a to conditions of hard toral or grazing settle,

greatly reduoed seals. A living in Tibet and it is ments in Ladakh. These

few dozen refugees out felt that their quality of refugees, a majority of

of those who had come self reliance should not be whom are herdsmen, come

to India, however, re. lost. The Government across the border into

turned to Tibet. This have, therefore, looked at Ladakh and brought along

was probably due to the resettlement plans for wjtn them a large num.

some relaxation by the these refugees on a long Dar „f cattle. The Jsmmu

Chinese authorities in the range baaie of gainful &n(j Kashmir Government

Tibet region. No pressure employment. ar» exploring the possi-

whatsoever has ever been The best solution, it bilities of settling as many

exerted by the Indian jB thought, would be to of these refugeee ae possi-

authorities to disoourage Bettl» the refugees as ag. ble on land and pasturee

or prevent any Tibetan rioulturiets in units of in Ladakh itself.

refugees in India return- two to ten thousand per. n„___. _ . „ _

i__ ,„ Tik»t 1 j j- Oilers nave been re-

lng to tioet. aons eaoh depending on t- *»,- . ,,i„, „,

_ . ., v.... r r P! oeived lor the settlement

From the very start the availably of eu.table of about 6>000 tef

the Government of India land*, a particular area. ,o Q , ,nd 3 (M)0» h

have provded food, cloth- With this end .n v.aw, Madh pride(h • d ^

ing, accommodation and nearly 8,009 persons have § » governments are

other n.oa.sarit.es to all already been or are m ,ooking *for iniuW, ]anfJ.

Tibetan refugees. A be- the prooesa of being per-

ginning waa made in May, manantly rehabilitated on The orux of the prob

1950, by opening a few land. lent ia suitable land. India

transit camps, the more The pressnt position itself is over-populated

important of which were of settlement on land is and land to suit the elf-

at Massamari in Assam, that a sehame to settle matio needs of the Tibe-

aince closed, and at Buxa 3,000 refugees in the tan refugees is not easily

, in West Bengal, Bubs- Periyaptna taluk of My- available. Thus along with

equently, another camp , aore State baa nearly been the long term plane to

was opened at Dalhousie completed and 2,200 of settle refugees as agricul-

and there are transit them have already been turists. there has to be the

oamps, on a smaller scale, nearly settled. immediate programme of