Benefits increase for Tibetan monks, nuns

Palden Donyo, a monk of Sakya Monastery and a political adviser of the Tibet autonomous region, attends the plenary session of the Tibet committee of China's political advisory body in Lhasa on Jan 8. [Photo by Palden Nyima / China Daily]

The government of Tibet autonomous region has attached great importance to helping monks and nuns and supporting their monasteries and nunneries over the past few years, according to the Buddhist Association's annual conference in the region on Friday.

There are 1,787 monasteries and temples, and about 46,000 monks and nuns in the region, according to official statistics.

A total of 1,750 monasteries were linked to roads, 1,458 were hooked up to water facilities, and 833 received electricity in 2013, according to the regional officials.

Monks and nuns can receive medical insurance, pensions, low-income allowances and free annual health checkups under a series of preferential measures carried out by the government.

"A series of preferential policies were carried out to benefit monks and nuns within the region since 2011," said Palden Donyo, vice-president of the Tibetan branch of the Buddhist Association of China, and a member attending the plenary session of the Tibet committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"There are infrastructure construction, such as linking remote monasteries to the nearby towns with roads, and providing water and electricity accesses," he said.

Palden Donyo said that the government not only supports the monasteries materially, but cultural relics protection, such as establishing new libraries, also was stressed.

"The Sakya Monastery in the region's Shigaze prefecture was funded with 97 million yuan ($16 million) in 2013," he said.

"Monks and nuns who are within the range of the approved posts each will get a subsidy of 5,000 yuan for reconstructing their quarters," said Lobsang Jamcan, chairman of the regional government in a government work report two weeks ago.

Palden Donyo said that monks and nuns getting subsidies for building quarters was one of his proposals from last year.

This year, he submitted a proposal that the monasteries of Sakya and Tashilungpo in the Shigaze prefecture should apply for a place on the World Heritage list for protection and awareness.

"There were no self-immolations or riots among 46,000 monks and nuns over the past year," said Cheng Quanguo, Party chief of the Tibet autonomous region on the regional economics conferences recently.

"As part of the government's effort to lift the morale of monks, 10 branch Buddhism colleges were established within the region over the year," Palden Donyo said.

"Preferential measures such as free health checkups, low- income allowance, pensions and medical insurance are really helpful for monks and nuns," said Lobsang Sherab, a monk from Sangngak Monastery in Lhasa's Dagze county.