Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday said his government is yet to adopt the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy.
Several civil society groups, including the opposition Peoples Party of Arunachal and Congress have opposed the state cabinet's decision on August 12 to adopt and extend the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy 2014 in the state.
"The policy has only been agreed in-principle and not passed in toto. It will be framed only after Arunachal comes up with its own rehabilitation policy only after consultation with all stakeholders," Khandu said at the Solung festival of the indigenous community.
The Chief Minister said that his government will never give away any kind of rights to any refugees, which is detrimental to the interests of indigenous people of Arunachal.
Noting that the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy is a Government of India policy, Khandu said that the policy has been adopted in all states wherever there are Tibetan refugee settlements.
However, he said TRP policy is yet to be fully adopted in Arunachal due to issues over land and jobs.
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On the recent cabinet decision to create a department of indigenous faith and cultural affairs (DIFCA), the Chief Minister said the objective of the department is purely to preserve indigenous tribal beliefs and traditions, and is not against any religion.
He said DIFCA is for all tribal faiths and is to protect indigenous beliefs.
"The government will never work in favour or harm the interest of any religion or undermine the secular character of the state," Khandu stated.
He said the department of art and culture has some limitations due to which it is not able to fully support the effort to preserve the local culture.
Exhorting the people on the importance of preservation of indigenous culture, the Chief Minister appealed to the people to speak in their own local dialects. He particularly stressed on the importance of children to learn their local dialect and to have understanding of their local traditions and customs.
"I have four kids but I never bother to send them away abroad or to other states for their studies. I want them to grow in our local environment so that they can be acquainted with their culture and dialect first," Khandu said.
--IANS
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