Page 2 - Ladakh

No breakthrough in 17th round of India-China high-level military talks

Senior military officers of the two sides held the dialogue at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on Chinese side of LAC in eastern Ladakh

India, China held constructive talk: Joint statement on eastern Ladakh row

India and China held a fresh round of high-level military talks on December 20 with a focus on resolving the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh, a joint statement said on Thursday. It said the talks were "frank and in-depth" keeping in line with the guidance provided by the leaders of the two countries to work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest. "The 17th round of India-China Corps Commander level meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side on December 20," Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said at a media briefing, reading from the statement. He said the two sides exchanged views on the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western sector in an "open and constructive manner". "They had a frank and in-depth discussion, keeping in line with the guidance provided by the state leaders to work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest which would help in restorat

ISRO to develop spatial infrastructure geoportal for Ladakh: Union minister

The government of the Union Territory of Ladakh has approached a unit of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for developing Spatial Data Infrastructure geoportal 'Geo-Ladakh' for UT-Ladakh

Army focus on setting permanent defences using 3D printing tech in Ladakh

In a major technology push, Indian Army has envisioned construction of "permanent defences" along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh using cutting-edge 3D printing technology, a move that will save time and improve its defence preparedness, sources said on Tuesday. 3D printing technology uses complex software and robotic unit that helps in creating a structure through multiple stages from a digital model. These 3D-printed permanent defences can withstand a direct fire by a T-90 tank from about 100 metres, they said. Sources in the defence establishment said since the eastern Ladakh border standoff in 2020, shelters for about 22,000 troops have come up in the last two years, and these are relocatable, modern, compact, and can be lifted and erected in a few days. The army has taken a number of steps to boost its capability development and achieve modernisation, and sources said trials on the use of 3D printed defences have been successful. Besides building habitat for 22,

India's groundwater extraction stage at 60% in 2022, says report

In 2022, around 87 per cent of the total annual ground water extracted that is around 208.49 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) was for irrigation which in 2020 was around 89 per cent

Always maintain force's operational readiness at peak: Rajnath tells Army

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called on the top Army commanders on Wednesday to always maintain the force's operational readiness at its peak level amid a lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh. In an interaction with the commanders at their ongoing biannual conference, Singh reasserted the faith of the billion-plus citizens in the Indian Army as one of the "most trusted and inspiring organisations" in the country. At the five-day conference that started on Monday, the commanders are carrying out a comprehensive review of India's national security challenges along the borders with China and Pakistan, besides delving on ways to bolster the 1.3 million-strong force's military prowess. The main highlight of the third day's proceedings was Singh's interaction with the senior leadership of the Army, which was preceded by a briefing on "Transformational imperatives for a future-ready force". The Army said the defence minister commended the force for maintaining a high ...

They can't stop China in Ladakh, but won't let me in Kargil: Omar Abdullah

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has claimed that authorities in Union Territory of Ladakh tried to dissuade him from visiting Kargil. "They told me not come here. There (Eastern Ladakh) China has come in, you could not stop them, you could not send them back. We are only going from Srinagar to Kargil via Drass. We were not here to occupy the town," Omar told a gathering of his supporters in Drass on Monday. The National Conference leader alleged he was denied the permission to use a public address system and the Day Bungalow facility in Drass. "I have been a chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir for six years, but I fail to understand certain decisions made by them. At best, I would have only used the Dak Bungalow to freshen up," he added. Abdullah said the government had no confidence in its own decisions. "In August 2019, they separated you (Ladakh) from Jammu and Kashmir. If that was your heartfelt demand, why are they scared of allowing us in?" he asked. Hitting out at

Rajnath dedicates 75 infra projects worth Rs 2,180 cr from eastern Ladakh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday dedicated to the nation 75 infrastructure projects including bridges, roads and helipads built at a cost of Rs 2,180 crore in strategically key areas of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim among others. He inaugurated the projects at a function held at the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DS-DBO) road that provides connectivity to India's northernmost outpost of Daulat Beg Oldi in eastern Ladakh. The highlight of the event was the onsite inauguration of 120-metre-long 'class-70 Shyok Setu' on the DS-DBO Road at an altitude 14,000 feet, the defence ministry said. The bridge will be of strategic importance as it will facilitate logistics movement of the armed forces. Other projects inaugurated virtually by Singh included two helipads, one each in Hanle and Thakung, in Eastern Ladakh, it said. These helipads will enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force in the region. The rest of the projects were inaugurate

2 dead, 10 injured after tipper truck topples in Ladakh's Sasoma-Saser La

As many as two people died and ten others were injured after a tipper truck toppled in the Sasoma-Saser La area of Ladakh on Wednesday while road construction work was underway

No breakthrough at India-China diplomatic dialogue, talks to go on

India and China agreed on Friday to hold the next round of military-level talks at an early date to resolve the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh and create conditions for the restoration of normalcy in the bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. It was the only decision taken at a meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on the India-China Border Affairs as there was no breakthrough to resolve the issues at the key friction points of Demchok and Depsang. The MEA said the two sides agreed to continue discussions through diplomatic and military channels to resolve the remaining issues "at the earliest" so as to create conditions for the restoration of normalcy in the bilateral relations. "To achieve the objective of resolution of remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols, they agreed to hold the next (17th) round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early ..

Maintaining 'high preparedness' key lesson from Ladakh standoff: Army Chief

Maintaining a "higher level of operational preparedness at all time" and improving infrastructure, especially along the northern borders, were some of the key lessons from the eastern Ladakh border standoff, Army Chief General Manoj Pande said on Tuesday. He said this in response to a question during an interaction held at India Defence Conclave here. When asked by the host what was the next step after the recent disengagement of Indian and Chinese militaries from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh, he said, "We have made progress in terms of disengagement from friction points. We still have two friction points where we need to move forward. "We are hopeful as we move forward, talking through both military and diplomatic levels. And, I am sure we will be able to find resolution towards these friction points. That is our immediate aim to disengage from these friction points, before we look at to next step, of perhaps, de-escalation, which will involve

Earthquake of 4.8 magnitude hits Leh's Alchi village 10 km below ground

An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 on the Richter scale occurred 189 km north of Leh's Alchi, said National Center for Seismology

India-China disengagement at PP-15 'one problem less' on border: Jaishankar

The disengagement between the armies of India and China at the Patrolling Point 15 in eastern Ladakh is "one problem less" on the border, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday. At a media briefing after his talks with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, Jaishankar also took an indirect pot shot at China while replying to a question about ''one country'' blocking proposals at the UN Security Council to designate proscribed terrorists. "I do not think I will say anything new today except I would recognise that we have had disengagement at PP-15 (Patrolling Point 15). The disengagement as I understand was completed. That is one problem less on the border," Jaishankar said, in response to a question. Indian and Chinese armies carried out a joint verification of the disengagement process at PP-15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh after withdrawing their troops and dismantling temporary infrastructure from the friction point on Monday. The ...

When will govt restore status quo ante: Congress on border row with China

The Congress on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ceding 1,000 sq kms of Indian territory to China "without a fight" and asked when will the government restore status quo ante of April 2020. The opposition party's attack came after Indian and Chinese armies carried out a joint verification of the disengagement process at Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh after withdrawing their troops and dismantling temporary infrastructure from the friction point. Both sides completed the disengagement in a phased and coordinated manner, according to people familiar with the development. Attacking the government, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "China has refused to accept India's demand of restoring status quo of April 2020. PM has given 1,000 sq kms of territory to China without a fight." "Can the government of India explain how this territory will be retrieved?" he asked. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress spokesperson

India, China carry out verification of disengagement process at PP-15

Indian and Chinese armies carried out a joint verification of the disengagement process at Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh after withdrawing their troops and dismantling temporary infrastructure from the friction point, people familiar with the development said on Tuesday. Both sides completed the disengagement in a phased and coordinated manner, they said. The local commanders of the two armies also held a meeting following the conclusion of the disengagement process from the friction point where the two sides were in a standoff for over two years. Though the two sides disengaged from Patrolling Point 15 (PP-15), there has been no progress yet on resolving the standoff in Demchok and Depsang regions. The Indian and Chinese armies on September 8 announced that they have kicked off the disengagement process from the PP-15, in a significant forward movement in the stalled process to pull-out troops from the remaining friction points in the region.

Disengagement in Gogra-Hotsprings area going as per schedule: Army chief

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Monday said the process of Indian and Chinese militaries disengaging from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh was "going as per schedule". The External Affairs Ministry had said on September 9 that the disengagement process will be completed by September 12. Gen Pande, who has returned to Delhi after a two-day visit to Ladakh, on Monday addressed a seminar on Army logistics at Manekshaw Centre here, and also referred to the eastern Ladakh border standoff that erupted two years ago. "I will have to go and take stock. But, it (disengagement process) is going as per schedule, and what was decided," he told PTI on the sidelines of the event, when asked about the status of the process. Gen Pande on Saturday had carried out a comprehensive review of the overall security situation in eastern Ladakh, two days after Indian and Chinese militaries began disengaging from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in the ...

Army Chief General Pande flies sortie in IAF's Apache helicopter in Ladakh

Army chief General Manoj Pande on Sunday flew a sortie in the Indian Air Force (IAF) Apache attack helicopter in Ladakh, officials said

Army Chief begins 2-day visit to Ladakh amid disengagement of troops

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Saturday carried out a comprehensive review of the overall security situation in eastern Ladakh, two days after Indian and Chinese militaries began disengaging from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in the region. The Army said Gen Pande witnessed Exercise Pravat Prahar besides interacting with officers and troops deployed in the region. The exercise featured a display of operational capabilities by artillery guns and other key weapon systems. "Gen Manoj Pande #COAS visited #LadakhSector and witnessed Exercise PARVAT PRAHAR. #COAS was briefed on operational preparedness by commanders on ground. He interacted with the officers & troops & complimented them for their steadfastness and professional standards," it tweeted. People familiar with Gen Pande's visit said he has been briefed about the fresh disengagement process besides the overall combat readiness of the Indian Army in the region. Commander of the Leh-based Fire and Fury ...

Central wildlife panel approves to upgrade IAF base near LAC in Ladakh

The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has approved a proposal for the "upgrade" of an Indian Air Force base in Ladakh in a 508-hectare area in the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary near the Line of Actual Control. Apart from this, the NBWL cleared nine more strategic projects in the Changthang and Karakoram wildlife sanctuaries as India looks to bolster defence infrastructure near the LAC. The IAF had first submitted the proposal to upgrade the air base to the State Board for Wildlife on December 12, 2020, months after border standoff with China. The state panel cleared it in a meeting on June 29, acknowledging its importance for national security. The IAF had informed that it is an "existing operational airbase and approval is being sought to upgrade the existing base", the minutes of the June 29 meeting read. The Standing Committee of the NBWL, chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, approved the proposal in a meeting on July 29. The IAF is

All you need to know about India's first dark sky reserve in Ladakh

Government plans to promote astronomy tourism at the reserve, which is located in Hanle in Ladakh