Mohana, May 14: The Tibetan refugees who have made Chandragiri in Mohana block of Gajapati district their home since the past several decades voted for the first time on Monday.
Hundreds of Tibetan refugees who had registered their names in the voters’ list and also received voter ID cards exercised their franchise for the first time at five booths - Chandragiri, Jirang, Tikillipadar, Labarsing and Mahendragarh.
They have expressed their happiness for being a part of the democratic process of the country.
According to reports, over 300 Tibetan refugees were included in the voter list and around 150 exercised their franchise.
Notably, over 2,700 Tibetans are residing in five camps at Chandragiri, Labarsing, Tikillipadar, Jirang and Mahendragarh areas. Their ancestors had settled down in Chandragiri back in 1963.
The Union government announced in 2013 to grant Indian citizenship to the Tibetans born in India after January 26, 1950 and before July 1, 1987.
In 2023, the state government decided to include them in the beneficiaries list to avail old age pension and ration card.
