Policy On Tibetan Refugees Won’t Affect Locals, Says Arunachal Government

The Arunachal Pradesh government on Monday said any policy decision on the Tibetan refugees settled here would be taken keeping the interest of the local people in mind.

The government has sought the cooperation of the people in the matter, an official release said. The announcement comes in the wake of protests by various organisations here that claimed the move to implement the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy 2014 of the Centre would be detrimental to the interest of local people.

The Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy was amended by the Centre in 2014 to provide a uniform guideline on the facilities to be provided to the Tibetan refugees living under the jurisdiction of state governments. Arunachal Pradesh has three Tibetan settlement areas.

Last month, the central policy came up for discussion at the state cabinet meeting, where the members decided to implement the amendments partly, taking into account the interest of the state's indigenous population after holding consultations with the community-based organisations and stakeholders, the release said.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu had also stated in a recent meeting at Tawang that no decision would be taken which would hamper the interest of the state, the release added. (PTI)