STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Ladakh will soon have South East Asia’s first Night Sky Sanctuary, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, has said.
The Minister informed that the Sanctuary is being set up with the help of Indian Institute of Astrophysics Bengaluru, which is affiliated to the Department of Science & Technology, Govt of India. He profusely appreciated the Lt Governor of Ladakh, Brig (Retd) B.D. Mishra for his active cooperation in the project.
On behalf of the Ministry of Science & Technology and CSIR, we will request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Night Sky Reserve at Hanle, the Minister said.
The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the exhibition ‘Ladakh’s Pride’ being held here to mark the fourth anniversary of the establishment of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The exhibition is organised by Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh at the initiative of Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) Tashi Gyalson.
The Dark Sky Reserve will be located at Hanle village in Eastern Ladakh as a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. It will boost Astro-tourism in India and will be one of the world’s highest-located sites for optical, infra-red, and gamma-ray telescopes. Spread over 1,073 square kilometres, the Night Sky Reserve is located within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary and adjacent to the Indian Astronomical Observatory, the second-highest optical telescope in the world, of Indian Institute of Astrophysics at Hanle at an elevation of 4500 metres.
“At a time when the country is celebrating the success of Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 solar mission, this Dark Sky Reserve will fascinate the stargazers, being among only the 15 or 16 of its kind in the world,” said Dr Jitendra.
The Union Minister said that a tripartite MoU was signed among the UT Administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) for launching the Dark Space Reserve. He said, the site will have activities to help in boosting local tourism and economy through interventions of Science and Technology.
Dr Jitendra complimented the LAHDC-Leh for organising the exhibition ‘Ladakh’s Pride’ outside Ladakh. The exhibition showcases GI-tagged treasures of Ladakh, – Seabuckthorn, Raktsey Karpoapricots, Ladakh wood carvings and Pashmina wool.
The Minister said that commercial cultivation of three medicinal plants is also being promoted at a height of above 15,000 feet. This includes “Sanjeevani Booti”, locally known as “Sola”, which has very high life saving and therapeutic properties.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that Department of Atomic Energy will set up facilities in the UT for Gamma Irradiation Technology for preservation/shelf life extension of fruits and vegetables. He was happy to note that Apricot from Ladakh is now being exported to Dubai.
“This is the first of its kind roadmap devoted exclusively to the Ladakh region,” he said.
Underlining that Ladakh is “India’s youngest Union Territory, but it is also India’s oldest civilization”, Dr Jitendra Singh said, “Ladakh, the land of the Buddhist Lamas, is a peace loving region, but confronted with a history of political and other turmoil. PM Modi, for the first time, fulfilled the aspirations of the Ladakhi people by forming the UT of Ladakh on 31st October 2019.”
“Though the first Ladakh Buddhist Association delegation met then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1949 seeking separate UT status for the remote region, the dream fructified only seven decades later under PM Modi,” he said.
“PM Modi walks the talk!”, said Dr Jitendra Singh, quoting PM Modi, “My efforts will be to fulfil aspirations of the neglected remote regions of the country including Ladakh and the North-East.”
In his address, Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC-Leh,Tashi Gyalson thanked Dr Jitendra Singh.
Executive Councillor (Minority/Forest), LAHDC-Leh, Ghulam Mehdi also spoke on the occasion.