New Delhi, (Samajweekly) In a surprising revealation, 73.2 per cent of people said that they didn’t know exactly where the Tibetan Government in Exile is currently based, as per the IANS C-Voter Tibet Poll, which included a sample size of 3,000 people spread across the country.
The Tibetan Government in Exile is headquarted in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.
Up to 74.5 per cent male were found completely unaware of the fact, while only 12 per cent said that they knew. Of the total female participants in the survey, 71.8 per cent replied that they didn’t know, whereas 18.5 per cent said they couldn’t say and only 9.7 per cent sais that they were aware.
Up to 81.1 per cent people in the age group of 18 to 24 years said they were not aware, 9.1 per cent said they couldn’t say while 8.8 per cent said they knew.
In the 25-34 age group, 17.1 per cent said they couldn’t say, 11.9 per cent said they knew while 70.9 per cent participants were found completely unaware.
Similarly, in the 35-44 age group, 17.6 per cent replied that they couldn’t say, 8 per cent said they knew while 74.4 per cent said they didn’t know.
In the 45-54 age group, 20.3 per cent replied that they couldn’t say, 12.8 per cent said they knew while 66.9 per cent said they didn’t know. Among those in age group of 55 and above, 16.7 per cent said they couldn’t say, 13.4 per cent said they knew, while 69.9 per cent said they didn’t know.
In the education group category, 17.6 per cent people with lower education said they couldn’t say, 6.5 per cent said they knew while 75.9 per cent said that they were completely unaware of it.
In the middle education group, 13.7 per cent said they couldn’t comment, 12.5 per cent said they knew while 73.8 per cent said they didn’t know. What is more surprising is that up to 63.7 per cent of people in the higher education bracket said they didn’t know, 17.6 per cent said couldn’t comment while 18.7 per cent said they knew.
According to the survey, 18 per cent people in the lower income group said they couldn’t comment, 21.8 per cent said they knew while 60.2 per cent people were completely unaware of it.
Among the middle income group, 15.4 per cent said they couldn’t comment, 30.8 per cent said they knew while 53.8 per cent replied that they didn’t know. Similarly, in the higher income group, 13.5 per cent said they couldn’t comment, 39.2 per cent said they knew while 47.3 per cent said they didn’t know.
Formed in 1959, Tibet’s Government in Exile — now called the Central Tibetan Administration — has executive, judiciary and legislative branches, with candidates elected by popular vote.
The Dalai Lama, the Tibetans’ exiled spiritual leader, and his followers have been living in Dharmsala since they fled Tibet after a failed 1959 uprising against the Chinese rule. China does not recognise the Government in Exile.