Leh- In a significant move to strengthen the minority Buddhist population in the Himalayan belt – Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and UT of Ladakh, the Ministry of Minority Affairs on Sunday launched the Buddhist Development Plan.
Minister of Minority Affairs, GoI Smriti Zubin Irani virtually laid the foundation stone for 85 crore worth of projects of the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS), Leh, besides Training cum Examination Centre (200 seaters) at Polytechnic College, Kargil and Industrial Training Institute, Leh at an estimated cost of Rs 14 crores 50 lacs.
In addition to these developments, Minister of Minority Affairs Smriti Zubin Irani on the occasion announced the establishment of a new Buddhist Centre at Delhi University for the promotion and preservation of Buddhist literature, language and skills to be executed at an estimated cost of Rs. 30 Crores.
The virtual event was attended by Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC Leh Advocate Tashi Gyalson, Commissioner Secretary Social and Tribal Welfare Padma Angmo, Vice Chancellor CIBS Leh, Prof Rajesh Ranjan, Executive Councillor Minority Affairs, LAHDC Leh Ghulam Mehdi, other concerned officials, staff and students at CIBS Leh while the Member of Parliament, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal attended the launch online from Delhi.
Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC Leh Advocate Tashi Gyalson on the occasion congratulated the people of Ladakh stating that with the launch of the Buddhist Development Plan, various aspects of the Buddhist religion, including its culture, the arts of thanka painting, sculpting, and preservation of manuscripts shall be further strengthened. He added that under the able leadership of Vice Chancellor, CIBS Leh Prof. Rajesh Ranjan and with the collective efforts of all stakeholders, CIBS is now on the path of development and assured his continued support to further strengthen CIBS in all possible capacities to become not just a national but internationally acclaimed institute.
MP Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal while joining the event virtually thanked the Ministry of Minority Affairs and stated that under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, various initiatives have been taken for the development of the minority community of Buddhists in the country, including the developmental projects at Sarnath in Varanasi, Bodh Gaya, Sanchi and Lumbini, the four main religious places for Buddhists. He added that the Buddhist Development Plan is a further welcome step for the Buddhist community and expressed his gratitude to the PM on behalf of the people of Ladakh.
Commissioner Secretary, Social and Tribal Welfare, UT Ladakh Padma Angmo congratulated CIBS on the approval of the project by the GoI and assured Department’s support in moving forward their proposals to the ministry, eased by the convergence of various schemes/programmes of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and other relevant ministries. She highlighted that under this provision of the BDP, the monastic schools can now be strengthened to their fullest and requested the VC to submit a Detailed Project Report for the development of the monastery schools across Ladakh to the Department of Social Welfare, UT Ladakh so thay the same can be proposed to the Ministry under the BDP plan for next year.
Vice Chancellor CIBS Leh, Prof. Rajesh Ranjan stated that the said projects will prove vital in strengthening CIBS and assured his commitment to realising the projects to their full potential so that various aspects of Buddhist culture, including thanka painting, sculpting, woodcarving may be further preserved and promoted. He also spoke of various schemes under the program which will help students establish a source of earning post-completion of their vocational skill training in the different arts offered by the institute. He further added that various projects are in the pipeline and will soon be formulated.
The Buddhist Development Policy initiative of the Ministry of Minority Affairs aims to address the multifaceted needs of the Buddhist population and promote their social and economic upliftment with focus on employment, livelihood, skilling, training, and development through policy interventions to bridge gap areas in policy interventions and lead to socio-economic development of the Buddhist communities residing in the Himalayan region/border areas.
One of the flagship schemes, Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) is an area development program that provides community infrastructure, basic amenities, construction of schools, colleges, science labs, dispensaries, hospitals, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), Polytechnics, sports facilities, community toilets, etc. Similarly, the skilling component shall be covered under PM-Vikas while financial assistance programs/scholarships (both pre and post-matric) shall be covered under National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC).
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