Exile Budget Shows Excess of Income

TibetNet: Dharamshala, March 18 -- In what has been unprecedented in the 47 years of exile Tibetan governance, the budget proposed for 2006-07 forecasts a surplus income of nearly three million rupees (approx $75,000 US).

"This is an indication of the improvement achieved in the financial position of the Central Tibetan Administration," Kalon Lobsang Nyandak Zayul said here today in his budget speech to the Assembly of the Tibetan People's Deputies.

"The welcome change has come only because of the introduction of various austerity measures to cut unnecessary expenses, with better and more sources of income, and the increase in funds raised by the exile Finance Department for the annual budget," the Finance Kalon, also the Kalon for Information and International Relations, said on the floor of the Assembly.

Funds contributed by the exile Finance Department for the annual budget now (6%) is double the usual amount contributed before the present Kashag took office in September 2001.

The major sources of income for the exile budget are contribution from His Holiness the Dalai Lama (25%), funds raised by the Kashag (25%), voluntary contributions collected through Green Book (34%) and administrative charges levied on aid (10%).

As in any democratic society, the budget of the Central Tibetan Administration is subject to the scrutiny of the Assembly. Thus, before a budget is passed in the Assembly, the budget committee of the Assembly scrupulously examines the expenditure proposals to its full satisfaction.

The budget proposed for 2006-07 has a total outlay of over Rs. 882 million (aprox. $24 million US). About 32 percent of that is allocated on increasing awareness of the issue of Tibet, 22% on welfare services, 15% on education, 10% on running cost of the administration, 9% on health, 7% on religion & culture and 5% on other uses.