Ever since having been declared a Union Territory by the Modi government in August 2019, Ladakh has been relishing its freedom from the otherwise mundane and terror-struck atmosphere of the erstwhile state revolving around Kashmir alone. In another major development for the Union Territory, the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday, during her Budget speech, announced that Leh would be getting its first-ever Central University for making higher education much more accessible for the students.
The development of a central university in Leh, Ladakh comes as one of the many steps being taken by the Modi government to develop the region and bring it at par with the rest of the country, while remaining carbon-neutral no less. Ladakh is an ocean of opportunities being tapped into now by the Modi government, while in the years gone by, was a treasure trove waiting to be opened. For decades, Ladakh was thought of as a useless and unproductive cold desert. The Modi government, however, has not subscribed to such vicious status-quo and is instead truly working towards the development of Ladakh as the crown of India.
TFI, in 2019, had reported how India was able to lure Russia to invest in Leh, and the Russian investors had reciprocated instantly by showing interest when it comes to investing in the freshly carved out Union Territory.
For those whose sole purpose has been to appease separatist elements in the Kashmir valley and Kashmir-based Islamist political parties, the major infrastructural push of the Modi government for Leh will undoubtedly serve as an eyesore. Also, for those who have been asserting for years now that the ‘Kashmir problem’ is a political one; the rapid development of Ladakh and Jammu serves as a reminder that all of the valley’s problems are hinged on the issue of Islamist supremacism. While the other two regions gallop towards development, it is a time of introspection for those in Kashmir, who must ask themselves whether fighting for a no-brainer of an issue is really worth it.
The people of Ladakh are elated for over quite some time now, and the latest news of a central university soon coming amidst them in Leh is sure to add to their joy.
In her Budget speech, the Finance Minister also announced that more than 15,000 schools will be strengthened under the New Education Policy 2020. She further said that 100 new Sainik Schools will be set up in India in partnership with NGOs, private schools, and states. The 2021-22 Union Budget also proposed to use ‘Glue Grants’ for inter-institutional linkages.
