Shipki La Near China Border Opens To Tourists For First Time In 78 Years
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday became only the second head of the Himachal Pradesh government to set foot on Shipki La
In a historic move, the Shipki La pass on the India-Tibet border in Himachal Pradesh has been thrown open to tourists and local public for the first time since independence in 1947. Nestled in the high-altitude terrains of Kinnaur district, this strategic Himalayan pass, previously restricted to trade activities, will now allow visitors to witness one of the most closely-guarded border zones in the country.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday became only the second head of the Himachal Pradesh government to set foot on Shipki La, following in the footsteps of state founder Yashwant Singh Parmar and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who had trekked to the pass in 1968, long before a road was even built here.
CM Sukhu's visit marks the formal launch of a 'Border Tourism" initiative aimed at opening up the mystique of the high frontiers to tourists. The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of the Sarhad Van Udyan, a green development project near the Indo-Tibet border, and addressed locals along with personnel of the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) stationed at the frontier.
Raising slogans of ' Bharat Mata Ki Jai ', the Chief Minister hailed the valour of the armed forces and later trekked to the high vantage point of Indira Point to survey the actual Line of Control. The move is being seen as a powerful assertion of civilian presence in these remote and geopolitically sensitive regions, especially amid heightened tensions with China along multiple Himalayan fronts.
Shipki La has historically served as a key route for Indo-Tibetan trade, connecting Kinnaur district with Tibet. This trade was halted in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and has not resumed since. For centuries, traders passed through here exchanging wool, salt, and grain with their counterparts in Chinese-occupied Tibet, visible just across the border.
According to the plan, visitors can reach Shipki La via the Shimla-Kinnaur highway, taking a detour near the Khab village. Tourists will be allowed entry by showing valid identity documents such as an Aadhaar card, though overnight stays remain prohibited. Entry is free for now, but access will be strictly monitored by the ITBP, which will grant permissions on a day-by-day basis.
Interestingly, the Shipki La corridor is also part of the route to Kailash Mansarovar, a major Hindu pilgrimage in Tibet. However, access to Mansarovar through this route still requires Chinese clearance, as the region remains under China's control.
Apart from tourism and cultural revival, the move carries strategic undertones. With China's increasing infrastructure activity across the LAC, India's decision to promote controlled civilian movement in its own borderlands is being viewed as a message of resolve and presence.
First Published:
June 10, 2025, 15:43 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
16 minutes ago
- Mint
India may crack open the gates to Chinese inflows
New Delhi: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, India is weighing easier rules for Chinese investments in select sectors in another step to restore ties as New Delhi seeks to bolster trade amid US tariff uncertainty, said two people aware of the matter. The proposal under consideration is to identify non-sensitive areas such as specific segments of manufacturing, renewable energy, and consumer goods, where investment proposals from Chinese companies could be cleared through a faster and simplified approval process, said the first of the two people cited above. 'Talks are underway at the diplomatic level to find a workable solution, keeping sensitive sectors such as defence and telecom, and critical digital infrastructure to ensure that national security is not compromised even as economic benefits are realized," said the second person. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity. 'As there is no plan to review Press Note 3, investments from China will be considered through the government approval route and not via the automatic route," this person said. Under Press Note 3, investments from countries sharing a land border with India must be approved by the government first. India restricted Chinese investments after the deadly clash between the soldiers of the two nations in Ladakh's Galwan Valley in trade continued to grow as India relies on its neighbour for imports of pharmaceutical raw materials to electronic imports from China increased from $94.57 billion in FY22 to $113.45 billion in FY25. In contrast, exports to China declined from $21.26 billion in FY22 to $14.25 billion in FY25. Inbound shipments from China during April–July 2025 stood at $40.66 billion, up 13.1% from a year earlier. Exports to China jumped 20% to $5.76 billion during the period. On its part, China has also exerted pressure on India by leveraging its dominance in critical sectors. Its near-monopoly on rare earth magnets gives it significant leverage against India, which is heavily reliant on imports. China has also strategically controlled the supply of tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) used in major infrastructure projects, causing delays and increasing costs. This is compounded by the withdrawal of Chinese tech professionals from Indian manufacturing units, potentially disrupting operations. As Trump announced tariffs on its trading partners, New Delhi started easing some of the curbs to improve strained ties. India has resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals after a five-year gap. In a parallel move, New Delhi is preparing to restart direct flights to Beijing from next month, restoring air connectivity that has remained suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic. Modi will also visit China for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Queries sent to the ministries of commerce and external affairs remained unanswered till press time. Need to boost FDI Trump, meanwhile, imposed the highest 50% tariffs on India, including a 25% penalty for buying Russian oil. The first set of 25% duty came into effect on 7 August, while another 25% will come into force on 27 August, giving India time to negotiate. However, the sixth round of talks for the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), which was scheduled for 25 August, has been cancelled, and no fresh dates have been announced, leaving the negotiations in limbo. 'As India aims to achieve developed nation status by 2047, building a stronger manufacturing ecosystem and attracting greater investment(from China)without jeopardising the domestic sector will be the key drivers of this ambition," said Dr Amit Singh, associate professor, Special Centre for National Security Studies at JNU. India attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) worth $81.04 billion in FY25, up 14% from the previous year, data from the commerce ministry showed. The services sector emerged as the top recipient of FDI equity inflows, accounting for 19% of the total, with investments rising nearly 41% to $9.35 billion in FY25. However, FDI inflows into India had peaked at $84.83 billion in FY22, according to data shared by minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary in the Lok Sabha on 10 March. FDI slipped to $71.35 billion in FY23 and $71.27 billion in FY24, amid concerns over a potential global recession, economic crises triggered by geopolitical conflicts, and rising protectionist measures worldwide. Attracting Chinese investments is 'important as it could help replenish investment and address the recent decline in FDI flows", said Biswajit Dhar, a trade policy expert from the Delhi-based think tank, Council for Social Development. 'If India is able to attract more export-oriented investments—what is often referred to as investment-led trade—it could also have a positive effect on the country's rising trade deficit." The government targets to attract $100 billion in FDI in FY26. Modi's first visit since 2019 Meanwhile, Modi is scheduled to travel to Tianjin, China, to attend the SCO summit from 31 August to 1 September. This will mark his first visit to China since the Galwan Valley clash in 2020. He last visited that country in 2019. Ahead of the summit, the Prime Minister will visit Japan on 30 August to participate in the annual India-Japan Summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, after which he will head to China, according to media reports. In the run-up to Modi's visit, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be in New Delhi from 18–19 August for the 24th round of special representatives' talks on the India-China boundary question with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, according to a statement from the ministry of external affairs.
Hindustan Times
16 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Shortage of teachers hits NEP in colleges
MUMBAI: Government and government-aided colleges across Maharashtra are reeling under a 38% shortfall in teachers, leaving them struggling to implement the requirements of the National Education Policy (NEP). Shortage of teachers hits NEP in colleges According to data obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 11,918 posts of lecturers and assistant professors in 2,000 government-aided colleges were vacant as of December 31, 2024. The situation is particularly dire in aided colleges affiliated to the University of Mumbai, where there are 2,127 vacancies – a staggering 41%. Colleges say the lack of permanent teachers makes it very difficult to meet the bar set by the NEP. 'We need permanent staff to teach the various courses we need to offer under the NEP,' said the principal of a South Mumbai aided college. 'We are currently hiring teachers on a clock-hour basis, but most of them don't continue beyond six months owing to low remuneration at government-approved rates.' Another college principal in Mumbai, said, 'We started implementing the NEP in our college three years ago, but offering students open electives in the spirit of providing a truly multidisciplinary education is impossible with the current staff strength. Without adequate faculty, the very purpose of the NEP is defeated. We are operating with contractual staff.' According to information sourced from the higher education department by RTI activist Abhay Kolhatkar, the state had sanctioned 31,185 teaching posts in over 2,000 aided colleges across the state, of which 11,918 remain vacant. The shortage of teachers began during the Covid pandemic, which began to unfold in early 2020, when the government ordered a recruitment freeze. Although 3,580 posts for assistant professors had been approved in 2018, only 1,492 were filled before the pause in May 2020. In 2021, another 2,088 posts were sanctioned but recruitment remained sluggish. The challenge has grown since the NEP was rolled out in autonomous colleges in 2023-24, and extended to affiliated colleges in 2024-25. The new policy introduced skill-based and practical subjects, requiring a greater number of teaching hours and specialised instructors. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed all states to fill at least 80% of sanctioned posts to maintain their accreditation grades under the National Academic Accreditation Council (NAAC). In July, the state government approved recruitment for over 7,900 teaching posts and more than 2,200 non-teaching posts across universities and government aided colleges. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cleared the long-pending drive, which was last attempted in 2022 but had stalled. However, no advertisements have been published so far. Professor Kushal Mude, national convenor of the All India NET and SET Teachers' Organisation, said, 'If a healthy teacher-student ratio is not maintained, the standards set by the central government for NEP cannot be achieved. Nearly 40% of sanctioned posts in aided colleges are vacant, and many private colleges have no full-time teachers. The government must recruit assistant professors in mission mode.'
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Joblessness is far worse than we thought it was
The curse of joblessness won't leave us. And it is getting worse. Unemployment, from a peak of 8% in the worst Covid financial year 2020-21, came down substantially to 3.2% for FY2024. But now, it has crept up again. The government's monthly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for June 2025 shows India's unemployment rate rose to 5.6%, up from 5.1% for the previous month of May. This may be a conservative figure as the independent think tank Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) puts the unemployment rate at 7.0%. In simple terms, an unemployed person is one who actively seeks work, but is unable to find a job. Government headline figures seem quite quixotic as real joblessness seems much higher. In Maharashtra, about a year ago, a recruitment drive for police jobs saw over 17.76 lakh applications for just 17,471 posts spread over constables, drivers, police band members and jail staff. Such anecdotal evidence tells a different story. The problem is the headline unemployment figures hide more than they reveal. For example, the unemployment survey carried out by business daily 'mint' shows that if you peel away at the unemployment figure of 3.2% for 2024, the unemployment rate for graduates is as high as 13%, and for youth between 15 and 29 years, it is 10.2%. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), for calendar 2024, the estimated youth unemployment -- those between 15 and 24 years -- was at 16.03 %. Over the last decade, the unemployment rate has averaging around 22%. Recent data from CMIE shows a much higher state of joblessness. As many as 44.5% of Indians aged in the 20–24 bracket are unemployed, despite many of them holding graduate or even postgraduate degrees. According to the 'India Skills' Report 2025, only 54.8% of Indian graduates are considered employable.
