LAHDC delegation called on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Ladakh
In a post on X, Nirmala Sitharaman's Office stated that, 'Delegation led by Smt Yangchan Dolma, Councillor - Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh, calls on Smt Nirmala Sitharaman.'
During her visit, Sitharaman visited the project site for the National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) near Pangong Lake in Merak. The NLST is a proposed ground-based 2-m class optical and near-infrared (IR) observational facility.
Furthermore, Sitharaman laid a wreath in tribute and paid respects to the martyrs at the Rezang La War Memorial at Chushul, in Ladakh. The War Memorial was constructed in 1963 in the Chushul plains, at an altitude of over 15,000 feet.
Earlier, on Monday, Sitharaman visited Rongdo Valley in Ladakh and interacted with members of the local tribal community members.
In a post on X, Nirmala Sitharaman's office said, 'Nirmala Sitharaman visits Rongdo Valley in Ladakh and interacts with members of the local nomadic tribal community. During the visit, Nirmala Sitharaman handed over a cheque of Rs 50 lakh for the construction of tents for the tribe, under the CSR initiative of the @TheOfficialSBI Foundation.'
Earlier on June 15, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, virtually inaugurated several development projects on Sunday in Leh, Ladakh, during her four-day visit to the Union Territory.
The Ministry of Finance said this reaffirms the Government of India's commitment to inclusive growth and infrastructure development in the Union Territory of Ladakh. The Union Finance Minister also interacted with the officials of the Union Territory administration.
On the second day of her visit, she addressed an audience during the Credit Outreach Programme in Leh and handed over sanction letters from banks to beneficiaries under various Central Government schemes.
During the Credit Outreach, loans worth Rs 5.13 crore were disbursed to beneficiaries under different schemes, including PM MUDRA, PM Vishwakarma, PMEGP, PM Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PM FME), and Joint Liability Group (JLG) loans. The Union minister also visited an exhibition of local handicrafts and handloom products by Self Help Groups (SHG) and Local Entrepreneurs in Leh. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
12 minutes ago
- Hans India
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Go in India at Rs 399 per month
New Delhi: US tech giant OpenAI on Tuesday announced he launch of ChatGPT Go, a new subscription plan aimed at Indian users. ChatGPT Go is available for Rs 399 per month, including GST, payable through UPI. The new plan aims to make advanced AI tools more accessible and affordable for users in India, a company release said. All features in ChatGPT Go are powered by GPT-5, where users can use Indian languages. ChatGPT Go offers ten times higher message limits with GPT-5 compared to the free plan. It offers ten times more image generations daily. Users can upload 10 times more files or images daily. Further, it features a two-times longer memory for personalised responses, the release said. The new option is available alongside existing subscription tiers, including ChatGPT Plus at Rs 1,999 per month, which provides priority access, faster performance, and higher usage limits for power users. Further, OpenAI offers ChatGPT Pro for professionals and enterprises requiring "highest scale, customisation, and access to advanced models" at Rs 19,900 per month, inclusive of GST. Nick Turley, Vice President and Head of ChatGPT, stated that millions of people in India use ChatGPT daily for learning, work, creativity, and problem-solving. ChatGPT Go makes these capabilities more accessible and easier to pay for using UPI, he said. India is ChatGPT's second-largest market and one of its fastest-growing, according to the company. ChatGPT outperformed all competitors in lifetime revenue per install, averaging $2.91. Anthropic's Claude followed at $2.55, while Elon Musk's Grok stood at $0.75. Microsoft's Copilot app lagged at just $0.27. GPT‑5 is available to all users, with Plus subscribers getting more usage and Pro subscribers getting access to GPT‑5 Pro, a version with extended reasoning for even more comprehensive and accurate answers.
Hans India
12 minutes ago
- Hans India
Apple clocks 63 pc growth in India exports at $7.5 billion in April-July: Data
New Delhi: Apple saw its iPhone exports from India rise almost 63 per cent to $7.5 billion in the April-July period this year, from $4.6 billion in the same period last fiscal (FY25), according to latest industry data. Overall smartphone exports also surged to a new high of $10 billion in the first four month this fiscal, up 52 per cent from $6.4 billion in the same period in FY25. When it comes to Q1 FY26, India's smartphone export momentum hit a record high in the April–June period, with shipments reaching $7.72 billion, up 58 per cent from $4.9 billion in the same period last year. During the quarter, Apple exported $6 billion worth of iPhones through its contract manufacturers, representing an 82 per cent increase from the previous year, as per industry estimates. Meanwhile, Taiwanese electronics major Foxconn and Apple's key supplier has started production of iPhone 17 at its new Bengaluru factory. This marks a significant milestone for the facility, which is Foxconn's second-largest iPhone manufacturing unit outside China and has been set up at an investment of around $2.8 billion (about Rs 25,000 crore). Apple is betting big on India as a manufacturing hub. The company is expected to scale up iPhone production to 60 million units this year, compared to 35–40 million units in 2024–25. In the year ended March 31, 2025, Apple manufactured 60 per cent more iPhones in India, worth an estimated $22 billion. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently underlined India's growing importance in the company's global supply chain. After announcing financial results on July 31, he revealed that a majority of iPhones sold in the US in June 2025 were made in India. Moreover, in a major fillip to the 'Make in India' initiative, India's electronics production surged from $31 billion to $133 billion in a decade beginning 2014-15. The electronics exports surged more than 47 per cent in Q1 of 2025-26 over the same quarter in 2024-25.
NDTV
12 minutes ago
- NDTV
'Why Should Commuters Pay?' SC Slams Toll Charges Amid 12-Hour Jam
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the NHAI why should a commuter be asked to pay Rs 150 toll if it took 12 hours to cover a 65-kilometer highway stretch in Thrissur, Kerala. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria made the remark while reserving its verdict on pleas filed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and concessionaire, Guruvayoor Infrastructure challenging the Kerala High Court's order suspending toll collection at the Paliyekkara toll plaza in Thrissur. "Why should a person pay Rs 150 if it takes 12 hours for him to get from one end of the road to the other end? A road which is expected to take one hour, takes 11 more hours and they have to pay a toll as well," the CJI said. During the hearing, the bench was informed about a nearly 12-hour traffic snarl on the stretch on the weekend. The toll suspension was ordered by the high court on August 6 on the ground of poor condition of the Edappally-Mannuthy stretch of National Highway 544 and severe traffic congestion caused by ongoing works. "We will consider everything, reserve for orders," the bench said after hearing Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the NHAI, and senior advocate Shyam Divan for the concessionaire. Justice Chandran said the accident which triggered the block was not a mere "act of God" as argued by Mehta, but caused by a lorry toppling into a pothole. Mehta said the NHAI provided service roads where underpass construction was underway but admitted monsoon rains had slowed the progress. He also cited a precedent suggesting proportionate toll reduction rather than suspension. Justice Chandran, however, remarked a 12-hour ordeal was far beyond any proportional adjustment. The concessionaire said it had maintained the 60 kilometer under its control and blamed third-party contractors, including PSG Engineering, for the service road bottlenecks. "My revenue stream cannot be stopped when I am not responsible for the work entrusted to others. The impact on me has already been Rs 5-6 crore in just 10 days," Divan said, terming high court's order as "grossly unfair." The bench said the high court allowed the concessionaire to raise claims against the NHAI for losses. Divan said it was inadequate as day-to-day maintenance costs continued while revenue halted. Appearing for the original petitioners before the high court, senior advocate Jayant Muthraj calling it NHAI's responsibility to ensure a motorable road. He said the toll collection amid such conditions violated public trust while referring to the high court's interim directions before resorting to toll suspension as a "last resort." On August 14, the top court expressed its unwillingness to interfere with the high court order suspending toll collection. The high court on August 6 ordered a four-week suspension of toll collection, observing that motorists could not be charged when the highway was badly maintained and traffic congestion was severe. It said the relationship between the public and the NHAI was one of "public trust" and that failure to maintain smooth traffic flow breached that trust. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
