🤔 Is Rs. 8,300 Crores Budget Proposal Enough for Ladakh?
Ladakh is protesting against the lack of development and climate change. But a Budget 2023 provision worth Rs. 8,300 crores could change things. ReadOn!
Picture this: A land full of endless wonder and enchantment.Â
A land with soaring snow-peaked mountains and emerald valleys.Â
A land with its rich culture and spiritual traditions, with glittering monasteries and rolling hills. Â
Yes, we're talking about Ladakh.Â
A land with the perfect blend of blue and purple in the sky. A land with the perfect scent of freshness and cleanliness in the air…
*Cough cough*
That air doesn't smell clean anymore.Â
And that hill isn't covered with snow… It's full of trash!Â
Those glaciers don't seem as big anymore, they're melting.Â
And the people? They don't look warm, hospitable, and happy anymore. They look sad, they look angry.Â
Sonam Wangchuk (who inspired Phunsuk Wangdu in 3 Idiots) has been protesting against Ladakh's climate change and development problems for days.Â
Why the protest?
What does the government have to say?
What lies ahead for Ladakh?
Today, we answer all these questions. ReadOn…
🤨 The Issue At Hand
 Sonam Wangchuk's 5-day climate fast is making all the headlines.Â
Wangchuk held this 5-day climate fast to bring attention to Ladakh, its melting glaciers, and its polluted air.Â
His demand? Include Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.Â
What's that?Â
The Root Cause of the Problem
Some Northeastern states like Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram have been given special status under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
They have more than 90% of the tribal population, which needs to be governed by their own people. The special status also helps protect their natural ecosystem and cultural heritage.Â
The tribal areas are governed by autonomous councils, where tribals are elected as representatives and can take decisions.Â
Guess which other region has a 90% tribal population? Ladakh!Â
So, it also wants this special status. But, why now?
You see, this wasn't possible earlier because Ladakh was a part of Jammu and Kashmir.Â
But in 2019, Article 370 was removed and Ladakh became a separate Union Territory.Â
With this newfound identity, came a ray of hope: Ladakh's tribals would be able to take control of their economy and ecosystem.Â
However, this hope soon faded away, leaving dreams unfulfilled.Â
You see, union territories in India are under the rule of the Central Government. While some union territories like Delhi can hold elections, most like Ladakh cannot.Â
They are run by Lieutenant Governors (LG), who don't even belong to the region! These Governors don't really understand the pain of the locals. Result?
Out of the Rs. 6,000 crores allocated to Ladakh for its development, only 8% goes to the hill councils. 70% of the funds lapse and the rest goes to the Lieutenant Governor (claimed by Wangchuk).Â
Number of jobs to be created by the government: 12,000.
Number of jobs actually created: 250-300, that too to the police department!Â
This is not all. Wangchuk fears that the LG could also allow more industries into Ladakh for its development.Â
This could further cause pollution and degradation of the environment.Â
Huge tourism and a large military presence have already polluted Ladakh and caused its glaciers to melt faster.Â
Tourism has also caused water shortages, leading to a decline in its agricultural economy.Â
More industries here could suck out more water, kill more jobs and melt more glaciers.Â
So, why isn't the government listening to him?Â
👀 The Government's View Point
The Sixth Schedule Status is only set aside for Northeastern states. If the government did give it to Ladakh, even on justified grounds, many other states could start asking for special treatment.Â
Second, Ladakh is important for the government from a military perspective. It shares a border with China. So, the government wants to maintain control over it.Â
The government is not completely ignorant to Ladakh's plea. It has laid out some plans for the Union territory.
🧠Plans for Ladakh
Ladakh has more potential than being just a pretty backdrop for your Instagram pictures.Â
It is one of the best places to harness solar energy: It has no dust and its snowy plains can reflect sunlight better onto the solar panels.Â
For years, the government was planning to launch major solar plants here. The only problem: how to send this electricity to other parts of the region?Â
Now, the government seems to have solved this as well. It plans on building a pipeline from Kaithal, Haryana to Spang Valley, Ladakh.Â
Rs. 8,300 crores has been allocated to build this pipeline in Budget 2023!Â
What's more, ONGC is also exploring the potential of geothermal energy in Ladakh.Â
Ladakh has a lot of underwater hot springs. This boiling hot water could be converted into electricity!Â
Ladakh could be home to India's first geothermal plant. And it could become India's green energy hub!Â
It would no longer rely on other states for energy but could rather sell energy.Â
This would:
create jobsÂ
reduce pollution, which in turn would slow down the melting of glaciers.Â
Problem solved, then?Â
Ummm, no! In fact, these projects themselves could cause a lot of damage to Ladakh's pristine ecosystem.Â
Especially the geothermal energy project which involves digging deep into the ground for hot water. Exploration has already caused a major blast in the region.Â
Research shows that such digging could lead to minor earthquakes. In the snow-laden region, this could mean major avalanches and landslides.Â
So, a lot more thought needs to be given to this to ensure that development is of the right kind.Â
The government also needs to involve the locals in decision-making. After all, it's them who will be affected the most.Â
In fact, Wangchuk feels that the government's current approach could alienate the youth and lead them astray.Â
They could then easily be influenced against India.Â
Something needs to be done about Ladakh and it needs to be done soon.Â
What do you think should be the government's approach here?Â
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