Tag: Ladakh

Aurora in Ladakh: Night sky lightens up in crimson hue as solar magnetic storms strike Earth

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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In a rare and remarkable celestial spectacle, a crimson hue illuminated the skies over portions of Ladakh, unveiling a rare stable auroral red arc event at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve nestled among the Himalayas. This phenomenon was visible due to severe solar magnetic storms emanating from the AR13664 region of the sun, magnifying a series of high-energy solar flares, according to scientists at the Centre of Excellence in Space Sciences in India (CESSI), Kolkata.

According to a PTI report, awe-inspiring auroras or northern lights, adorned the skies in higher altitudes of the northern hemisphere, captivating skywatchers across Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark, and Poland, who eagerly shared snapshots and brief clips of the ethereal display on social media platforms.

Also read: Severe solar storm hits Earth, may scramble communications systems, generate northern lights in US

At the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve, astronomers were treated to mesmerising sights of a crimson glow lighting up the northwest horizon from around 1 am on Saturday until the early hours of dawn.

“We were fortunate to witness Aurora activities on our all-sky camera during regular telescope observations,” Stanzin Norla, an engineer at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve told PTI. He described how a faint crimson luminescence graced the horizon, vividly captured by a DSLR camera stationed at the reserve. Dorje Angchuk, an engineer at the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle, identified the event as a stable auroral red arc, a rarity in the Ladakh skies, distinguished by its enduring presence over several hours.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Why Sonam Wangchuk, whose life inspired Aamir Khan’s role in ‘3 Idiots’, is on fast unto death in Ladakh

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Innovator, education reformist and activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose life inspired the character of Phunsukh Wangdu, played by Aamir Khan in Rajkumar Hirani’s 2009 blockbuster film 3 Idiots, is on fast unto death in Ladakh.

Wangchuk started the fast a few days ago to highlight the climate change issues in the Indian Himalayas, especially in the Union Territory of Ladakh. He will continue his fast in phases until the Centre accepts the demand to implement the Sixth Schedule and give full statehood to Ladakh, News18 reported.

Wangchuk and other locals have been protesting at the NDS stadium in Leh, where the temperature plummets to -16 degrees Celsius at night.

“LADAKH’S TALKS WITH CENTRE FAIL. I started my fast of 21 days (extendable till death) today in a large gathering,” he wrote on X on March 6.

LADAKH’S TALKS WITH CENTRE FAIL
I started my fast of 21 days (extendable till death) today in a large gathering…
Please watch full video here:https://t.co/OLHPuP1wly
English version coming soon… #SaveLadakh #SaveHimalayas #MeltingGlaciers #ILiveSimply pic.twitter.com/bRiuwVFOiQ

— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) March 6, 2024

Before starting his fast, Wangchuk reminded the BJP of its 2019 poll promise and, said that the ruling party assured that the region would be brought under the Sixth Schedule as 97% of the Ladakh population is indigenous tribal.

“When it became a Union Territory in 2019, the issue before the people was how can we now safeguard these mountains from business sharks, mining lobbies, and industrial lobbies. Luckily, the Government of India and the BJP stepped in,” he said.

In recent times, multiple rounds of discussions have been held in the national capital between the representatives of Ladakh and the Union Home Ministry, however, Wangchuk said that the talks have “failed”.

Representatives of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and Leh Apex Body (LAB) also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah but there has been no headway, News18 report said.

“I am sitting on a 21-day fast because this happens to be the longest duration Mahatma Gandhi fasted for during the freedom struggle. I want to follow the peaceful path of Mahatma Gandhi, where we inflict on ourselves and don’t take hostages. We take pain on ourselves so that the government and policymakers take notice and act in time,” he said.

The BJP had successfully contested the Ladakh seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Ladakh witnesses complete shutdown as thousands demand statehood, inclusion in Sixth Schedule

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Ladakh witnessed a near complete shutdown on Saturday as thousands marched on the streets to demand restoration of statehood for the Union Territory under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. 

The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution contains special provisions related to the administration of tribal areas. 

The protests were jointly called by two civil society groups: the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance. The public transport in Ladakh remained suspended owing to the protests by citizens who gathered in masses at the Polo Ground in Leh as the political leaders and activists discussed the demands for the UT.

The two civil society groups held dialogue with a committee formed by the central government in New Delhi on December 4. The Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance also insisted on job reservations for the UT’s citizens and a parliamentary seat for both the districts—Kargil and Leh. The high-level committee formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs has announced a second-round meeting to discuss the demands. The following round of negotiations is set for February 19.

In August 2019, the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution was abrogated, and the state was divided into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Since then, Ladakh has been without an elected legislative representative.

Talking about the weakening of the powers of the people of Ladakh, Legal Adviser of Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance Haji Ghulam Mustafa said to ANI, “All our powers, which were people-centric, have weakened. When we were a part of J&K, we had four members in the assembly and two in the legislative council. Now we have no representation in the assembly… This has always been our demand that the people of Ladakh should have representation in the assembly and that we should get statehood.”

“This is a tribal majority area and has all the features north-eastern states have… Along the lines of the northeastern states, it is our demand that the provisions of the 6th schedule be implemented in Ladakh to protect its culture,” Mustafa added.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India has around 718 snow leopards, two-thirds of them in Ladakh, says Centre

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India has an estimated 718 snow leopards with Ladakh reporting the maximum number (477) of these magnificent cats, the Union Environment Ministry said on Tuesday, January 30.

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) carried out the first-ever ‘Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India’ (SPAI) with the support of all snow leopard range states and two conservation partners — the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru, and WWF-India — between 2019 and 2023.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released the report during the National Board for Wildlife meeting held in New Delhi on January 30.

“The SPAI is the first-ever scientific exercise that reports a snow leopard population of 718 in India,” the ministry said in a statement.

The exercise systematically covered over 70% of the potential snow leopard range in the country, involving forest and wildlife staff, researchers, volunteers, and contributions from knowledge partners.

The SPAI used a two-step framework and covered approximately 1,20,000 km2 of crucial snow leopard habitat across the trans-Himalayan region, including Union territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, and states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

The first step involved evaluating snow leopard spatial distribution, incorporating habitat covariates into the analysis, and aligning with the guidelines of the national population assessment of snow leopards in India by the environment ministry in 2019.

This systematic approach included assessing the spatial distribution through an occupancy-based sampling approach in the potential distribution range.

In the second step, snow leopard abundance was estimated using camera traps in each identified stratified region.

During the SPAI exercise, total efforts included 13,450 km of trails surveyed for recording snow leopard signs and camera traps at 1,971 locations for 180,000 trap nights.

Snow leopard occupancy was recorded in 93,392 km2, with an estimated presence in 1,00,841 km2.

A total of 241 unique snow leopards were photographed. Based on data analysis, Ladakh has an estimated 477 snow leopards, Uttarakhand 124, Himachal Pradesh 51, Arunachal Pradesh 36, Sikkim 21, and Jammu and Kashmir 9.

The snow leopard range in India remained undefined until recent years due to a lack of extensive nationwide assessments for this vulnerable species.

Before 2016, approximately one-third of the range (around 1,00,347 km2) received minimal research attention.

Recent status surveys have significantly increased understanding, providing preliminary information for 80% of the range (about 79,745 km2), compared to 56% in 2016.

The report also mentions the need for establishing a dedicated Snow Leopard Cell at WII under the MoEFCC, with a primary focus on long-term population monitoring, supported by well-structured study designs and consistent field surveys.

Consistent monitoring is essential to ensuring snow leopards’ long-term survival. For the same, states and UTs can consider adopting a periodic population estimation approach (every fourth year) in the snow leopard range.

These regular assessments will offer valuable insights for identifying challenges, addressing threats, and formulating effective conservation strategies, the report said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Dual earthquakes strike Sri Lanka and Ladakh

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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In a seismic event that unfolded on November 14, two earthquakes of significant magnitude hit both Sri Lanka and Ladakh simultaneously.

The first earthquake, measuring a magnitude of 6.2, occurred at precisely 12:31 p.m. with its epicentre located at latitude -2.96 and longitude 86.54, with a depth of 10km. The activity was situated 1326km southeast of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The National Center for Seismology, posted on X, saying, “Earthquake of Magnitude:6.2, Occurred on 14-11-2023, 12:31:10 IST, Lat: -2.96 & Long: 86.54, Depth: 10 Km ,Location: 1326km SE of Colombo, Sri Lanka.”

Earthquake of Magnitude:6.2, Occurred on 14-11-2023, 12:31:10 IST, Lat: -2.96 & Long: 86.54, Depth: 10 Km ,Location: 1326km SE of Colombo, Sri Lanka for more information Download the BhooKamp App https://t.co/4djY2ype7T@KirenRijiju @Dr_Mishra1966 @ndmaindia @Indiametdept pic.twitter.com/yqXchM4hZN

— National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) November 14, 2023

Shortly thereafter, a second earthquake, registering a magnitude of 4.4, struck at 1:08 p.m. with coordinates at latitude 37.28 and longitude 75.21, with a depth of 20km. The location of the earthquake was identified as 314 km north-northwest of Kargil, Ladakh, India.

Earthquake of Magnitude:4.4, Occurred on 14-11-2023, 13:08:50 IST, Lat: 37.28 & Long: 75.21, Depth: 20 Km ,Location: 314km NNW of Kargil, Laddakh, India for more information Download the BhooKamp App https://t.co/M6U66n20DG@KirenRijiju @Dr_Mishra1966 @ndmaindia @Indiametdept pic.twitter.com/ke4WtuEYbc

— National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) November 14, 2023

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India approves Rs 20,773.7 crore for transmission line to evacuate power from Ladakh

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The union government, in its cabinet decision, approved Rs 20,773.7 crore to set up a transmission line on Wednesday. The line will be set up for evacuating power from a 13 GW renewable energy project in union territory (UT) of Ladakh.

PM Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech announced setting up a 7.5 GW Solar Park in Ladakh. After conducting an extensive field survey, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) decided to set up a 13 GW Renewable Energy (RE) generation capacity along with a 12 GWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Ladakh’s Pang.

“The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the project on Green Energy Corridor (GEC) Phase-II Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) for the 13 GW Renewable Energy Project in Ladakh,” the press release said.

The transmission line for evacuating this power will pass through Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Kaithal in Haryana, where it will be integrated with the National Grid. The project is targeted to be set up by the financial year 2029-30. Centre is contributing 40% in this project. (Rs 8,309.48 crore).

-With inputs from PTI

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

LAHDC Kargil elections today: First poll since split from J&K in 2019, voting underway

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) elections will be conducted on Wednesday, October 4. The hill council election in Kargil is the first election be conducted in the union territory since its split from Jammu and Kashmir in 2029

Shrikant Balasaheb Suse, Dy Commissioner, Kargil said police arrangements have been made to carry out free and fair elections. “We have a total of 278 polling stations…Out of the 278 stations, 114 are hyper-sensitive and 99 are sensitive polling stations. Police deployments have been done accordingly,” he told news agency ANI

The counting of votes is scheduled for October 8 and the new council will be in place before October 11. The existing council, headed by National Conference’s Feroz Ahmad Khan, completed its five-year term on October 1.

A total of 95,388 voters, including 46,762 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise from 8am to 4pm, News 18 reported.

According to the report, a total of 85 candidates are contesting on 26 seats of the 30-member Hill Council.

The National Conference (NC) and the Congress announced a pre-poll alliance but have put up 17 and 22 candidates, respectively.

The BJP fielded 17 candidates this time. The party had won one seat in the last election and later took its tally to three with the joining of two PDP councillors.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fielded candidates on four seats, while 25 independents are also in the fray, the officials said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow