Dharamshala: The Kalons (Ministers) of the 17th Kashag, nominated by Sikyong Penpa Tsering and approved by the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, were officially sworn in during a ceremony held this morning at the Sikyong Auditorium in Gangchen Kyishong.
The new cabinet members took their oaths of office and secrecy before Chief Justice Commissioner Yeshi Wangmo in the presence of Justice Commissioners Dawa Phunkyi and Phagpa Tsering, heads and members of the autonomous bodies, parliamentarians, and other dignitaries of the Central Tibetan Administration.
The ceremony commenced with auspicious prayers recited by monks from Nechung Monastery. It also featured the offering of a mandala and the three representations of the Buddha’s body, speech, and mind to a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by the Chief Justice Commissioner and the newly sworn-in Kalons.
Following the oath-taking ceremony, attendees presented ceremonial khatags to the new members of the Kashag and extended their congratulations and best wishes.
Kalon Tsegyal Chukya Dranyi (Department of Religion and Culture):
Tsegyal Chukya Dranyi was born on 2 February 1966 in Phari Chukya to Dranyi Pegyal and Yangkyi.
He completed Class 12 at CST Darjeeling in 1989 and subsequently pursued higher education at Darjeeling Government College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. During his college years, he also completed a ten-month English typewriting course.
While studying in Class 11 at CST Darjeeling, he received a Certificate of Merit from the Department of Education in recognition of his academic achievements. He also served as Boys’ Captain and represented the school’s local youth group.
He began his public service career in the Department of Education, where he served from 10 October 1991 to 30 September 1993. In 1993, he passed the competitive recruitment examination and was appointed to the Civil Service as an Under Secretary, subsequently being assigned to the Department of Health.
In 1997, he was promoted to the position of Deputy Secretary and continued his service in the same department. In 2000, he was transferred and appointed as Head of the Dalhousie Factory-cum-Settlement Officer. Subsequently, he was promoted to Joint Secretary in 2002 and transferred to the Department of Home. In 2004, he was transferred to the Department of Health and was appointed Director of the Ngoenga School for Tibetan Children with Special Needs in Dehradun.
In recognition of his exemplary service, he received the CTA’s Staff Excellence Awards in the Administration Category for the 2009–2010 fiscal year on 6 July 2009.
In 2010, he was promoted to the Additional Secretary and transferred to the Department of Health, where he was promoted to Secretary on 13 October 2014.
In 2016, he was transferred as Secretary of the Department of Religion and Culture. He returned to the Department of Health as Secretary later that year.
On 8 April 2019, he was transferred to the Kashag Secretariat as its Secretary and from 3 February 2020, he simultaneously served as Secretary of both Kashag and Department of Religion and Culture.
On 3 August 2021, he relinquished his responsibilities as Secretary of the Department of Religion and Culture and continued serving as Secretary of the Kashag. In addition, he has chaired eleven committees, including the Central Ghoton Organising Committee and Staff Transfer and Placement Committee.
He has completed a total of 35 years of public service at the Central Tibetan Administration until his appointment as the Kalon of the Department of Religion and Culture of the 17th Kashag.
Kalon Palden Dhondup (Department of Home):
Palden Dhondup was born on 6 July 1969 in Ladakh, India. He completed his schooling up to Class IX at TCV School, Ladakh. He subsequently pursued higher studies at the Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies in Varanasi, where he earned Shastri and Acharya degrees.
During his college years, he actively participated in student and community affairs, serving as a member of the Sakya Welfare Committee, a member of the Students’ Welfare Committee, President of the Tibetan Children’s Village Alumni Association (TCVAA), and a member of the Regional Tibetan Freedom Movement.
Following a brief stint at Ngor Ewam Choden Monastery, where he served as a teacher and secretary, he formally joined the Central Tibetan Administration on 25 March 1996 after successfully clearing the staff recruitment examination for the post of Under Secretary. He was initially appointed as Assistant to the Settlement Officer of Kalimpong Tibetan Settlement and was later promoted to Deputy Secretary and appointed Settlement Officer of the settlement.
In 2001, he was transferred to Choephelling Tibetan Settlement in Miao, Arunachal Pradesh, as Settlement Officer.
From 2002 to 2006, he served as Settlement Officer of Phuntsokling Tibetan Settlement in Odisha. He was subsequently posted to Kunphenling Tibetan Settlement in Ravangla, Sikkim, where he served from 2006 to 2007. In 2007, he was appointed Settlement Officer of Darjeeling Tibetan Settlement.
On 26 February 2008, he was promoted to the rank of Joint Secretary and concurrently served as Settlement Officer of both the Darjeeling and Sonada Tibetan Settlements.
Later that year, he was appointed Settlement Officer of Doeguling Tibetan Settlement in Mundgod, Karnataka. In 2011, he was transferred to the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi. In 2013, he was appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Home and was promoted to Additional Secretary in 2014.
From 2016 onwards, he served as Director of the Tibetan Administrative Training and Welfare Society (TAWS).
On 1 May 2019, he assumed office as Secretary of the Department of Health. Subsequently, on 11 October 2022, he took charge as Secretary of the Department of Home, a position he held until his appointment as Kalon of the Department of Home in the 17th Kashag during the First Session of the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
Kalon Tsering Dhondup Gyangser (Department of Finance):
Tsering Dhondup Gyangser was born in Shimla to Lobsang Samphel Gyalthung and Pema Choedon Shitsi.
From 1977 to 1981, he completed his pre-school education at the Tibetan School in Khara Pathar near Shimla. In 1980, he received the Student Excellence Award from the Department of Education. From 1981 to 1986, he completed his 10th grade at CST Shimla. In 1987, he enrolled in 11th grade at CST Dalhousie. To support his family and address personal matters, he worked in business for about four years. In 1992, he passed the 12th-grade examination privately through the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education. In 1996, he received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from Himachal Pradesh University.
On 15 October 1996, he joined the civil service as a Junior Clerk and was assigned to the Department of Security. In 2000, he was promoted to the position of Under Secretary through examination.
In 2004, he was granted a two-year unpaid leave of absence. In 2006, upon returning from unpaid leave, he resumed duties at the Security Department. In 2011, he was transferred to the Bureau du Tibet in Paris as it Coordinator where he served for over five and a half years until 2017. Thereafter, he returned to the Security Department and, in June of the same year, was transferred to the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi. In 2018, he assumed the position of Secretary of the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi.
In May 2019, he was promoted to the position of Additional Secretary and transferred to the Tibetan Reception Center for newcomers in Dharamshala. In July 2021, he was transferred to the Security Department and then in September 2023, he was promoted to the position of Secretary.
Since then, he has been serving as Secretary of the Department of Finance. On 2 June 2026, he was elected as the Finance Kalon for 17th Kashag.
Kalon Ugyen Tenzin (Department of Education):
Ugyen Tenzin was born on 28 March 1964 in Gangtok to Penpa Tsering and Penpa Chungkyi. He completed his primary and secondary education at the Central School for Tibetans in Dalhousie and Darjeeling. After completing Grade 12, he was selected among the fifteen top-performing students by the Central Tibetan Schools Administration and awarded a scholarship for higher studies.
In 1985, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Government College for Men, Chandigarh, and later completed his Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Mysore in 1992.
During his schooling at CST Darjeeling, Ugyen Tenzin served as an accountant of the Regional Tibetan Youth Association. During his college years in Chandigarh, he also worked as cashier for the Regional Tibetan Freedom Movement (BRDL). From 1991 to 1993, he served as Secretary of the Regional Tibetan Youth Association of Mundgod Doeguling. He was subsequently elected Vice Chair of the Local Tibetan Assembly of Mundgod (1994–1997) and later served as its Chairman (1997–2000).
He was elected as a Member of the 13th Tibetan Parliament in Exile (2001–2006), during which he served on the Standing Committee as well as on other parliamentary committees.
From 2005 to 2008, he served as Director of External Relations of the executive board of the U-tsang Cholkha Association, and from 2008 to 2011 he was an executive board member of the Global Tibetan People’s Movement for Middle Way Approach.
From 2008, he also served as Executive Director of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD). In this role, he engaged in research on the human rights situation in Tibet, advocated extensively through international media on deteriorating human rights situations inside Tibet, disseminated timely information on the 2008 widespread uprising, and raised awareness of the democratic system of the Tibetan exile community to the wider international community.
After his tenure at TCHRD, Ugyen Tenzin worked as a reporter with the Dharamshala-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) Tibetan Service and later served as its Bureau Chief over a total of nine years (2011–2021). Subsequently, he served as Bureau Chief of the Voice of America (VOA) Tibetan Service from 2021 to 2025.
On 2 June 2026, he was elected by members of the 18th Tibetan Parliament in Exile as a Kalon of the 17th Kashag and was assigned the portfolio of the Department of Education.
Kalon Kunga Tashi (Department of Security):
