Latest news with #SonamWangchuk
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Bridge gap between environment and business, innovator Sonam Wangchuk urges Bengal youth
Kolkata: Embrace entrepreneurship as a tool to solve real-world problems rather than focusing solely on profit-making: This plea for commitment to sustainable impact came from innovator, educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk . The Ladakh-based change-maker was recently in the city to attend 'Made in JIS 2025', organised by the JIS Group. "India needs problem-solvers more than business entrepreneurs who do business just for the sake of making money," Wangchuk told the gathering of students and aspiring innovators. "Curiosity of the mind, empathy of the heart and the spirit of initiative are key to becoming an entrepreneur with conscience — one who can bridge the gap between environment and business. " Founder of the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) and architect of Operation New Hope, Wangchuk shared examples of student-led innovations in Ladakh, including Passive Solar Heating Shelters for the Indian Army at 15,000-ft altitude and artificial glaciers or 'ice stupas' to tackle pre-monsoon water scarcity. He pointed out that ventures, such as an all-woman travel company and yak-cheese production, had emerged from "simple textbook science", treated with creativity. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Michigan Launches New Policy for Cars Used Less Than 50 Miles/day Bindright Undo by Taboola by Taboola You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Wangchuk urged for context-specific approaches in the education system. "Just like different diseases are treated with different medicines, different circumstances need different ways of education," he said, praising the National Education Policy for its philosophy but pointing out that its effective implementation remained a challenge. Describing Wangchuk's presence as "deeply humbling and transformative", JIS Group director Jaspreet Kaur said the initiative aimed at building a generation of socially-conscious innovators. The event also featured sessions with Faad Capital CEO Aditya Arora and Snap-E Cabs founder & CEO Mayank Bindal. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Can people be happy only with development?: Sonam Wangchuk on Ladakh's core demands
Ladakh has witnessed rapid infrastructure development since it became a Union Territory, but people can't be happy only with development if their voices are not heard, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk said, pressing the demand for statehood and sixth schedule . In an interview with PTI, the Ramon Magsaysay Awardee said locals point out that "development" is there on the other side of the border in China as well, but people in Tibet are not happy. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program This comes as a three-day hunger strike demanding statehood and sixth schedule status for Ladakh began in Kargil on Saturday. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Fastest Way to Overcome Knee Pain and Swelling Wellnee Undo Asked about the changes in Ladakh, one of the world's highest inhabited regions, since it became a Union Territory, Wangchuk said people agree that the pace of the development of the roads has increased, and the budget has also increased multiple times. "I will state the facts as they are... People in Ladakh say they can see a difference in terms of development (in Ladakh), roads have been built..." Live Events However, he also said, "Development is there in China as well... But are the people of Tibet happy? No, because that development is neither in their hands nor is it being done for them," he said. "Is that being repeated in Ladakh? In that case, it would be a cage made of gold. There is no platform where people can come together and decide what kind of development they want. This would be someone else's development, (and) this is the problem of people of Ladakh," he said. Ladakh shares its eastern border with the Tibet Autonomous Region to the east, and the Leh region shares strong cultural and religious ties with Tibet. Dissatisfaction had been brewing amid the two regions in Ladakh as the talks being held by the Home Ministry with representatives of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) appeared to be stuck. "This dialogue did not start again; it got suspended... it was supposed to happen on the 15th (July), then on the 25th, then on the 28th... So, people wanted to start the movement again to express their pain," he said. The hunger strike in Kargil, which started on Saturday, will conclude on August 11 with a public meeting. "People from all walks of life will come and appeal to the government to listen to the demands of the people, and to solve these problems peacefully, because it is not good for any border area to have instability there," he said. The climate activist stressed that people of Ladakh have stood by the Indian Army, helping them in every possible way in every war that India has fought, but rued that due to "short-sightedness" of some leaders, their demands are not getting the attention they deserve. "I think this is very short-sighted; some narrow visioned leaders are doing this for the benefit of a few companies. But this will cause a lot of damage to the country, which can unfortunately affect our security," he said. He, however, hoped that the government would pay heed to their demand. "Our hope and prayer is that the government will understand our pain and resolve it. We do not want to come to Delhi again," he said. Last year, Wangchuk and other activists walked from Leh to Delhi to press for their demands. He even held an indefinite strike outside Ladakh Bhavan in the national capital. " some companies are given priority over people of will be forced to take such steps. There can be a longer hunger strike of 5-6 weeks; it's also being said that if we have to march to Delhi from Leh ten times, we will do that," he said. "The world should see how difficult it is to follow Gandhi's path," Wangchuk added. Ladakh, which was separated from Jammu and Kashmir and carved out into a Union Territory in 2019 after the abrogation of Article 370, has witnessed a series of protests over the last few years with demands for safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and statehood being among the key demands. A three-day hunger strike was started in Kargil on Saturday, alleging delay by the Centre in holding the next round of talks concerning the demands of Ladakh. The last meeting of the High Powered Committee (HPC) was held in New Delhi on May 27 and was chaired by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, in which the issues of reservation and domicile were settled.
Hindustan Times
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Centre advances talks to July 20; Sonam Wangchuk defers hunger strike
Following a proposal by the BJP government at the Centre to pre-pone another rounds of talks over statehood and Sixth Schedule to Ladakh, president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, co-chairman of the Leh apex body and former minister, Chering Dorje Lakrook on Saturday announced that environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk has deferred his 35 day-long hunger strike. Sonam Wangchuk, newly inducted into the Leh apex body, was set to begin a hunger strike on July 15.(PTI ) Wangchuk, a newly inducted member of the Leh apex body, had planned to go on hunger strike from July 15, if the Centre failed to hold talks with LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) before July 15. Addressing a press conference at Leh, Lakrook said, 'Since a new proposal has come from the Centre to hold talks on July 20 and there is no big gap between July 15 and 20, Sonam Wangchuk has decided to defer his hunger strike.' 'However, we have to see if they (MHA) invite us on July 20 for another round of talks. At the same time, we have to see if they include statehood and Sixth Schedule in the agenda or not because we don't want to remain entangled on the issue of unemployment. A lot of talks followed by action for jobs has already taken place,' said Lakrook. On recent developments regarding the Buddhist spiritual leader Thupstan Chhewang parting ways with LAB, he said, 'We will resolve the issue soon.' Leh apex body along with Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) has been spearheading a protracted agitation for statehood and Sixth Schedule to Ladakh. The home ministry had earlier assured to hold the meeting on July 28, which according to LAB, has now pre-poned the date to July 20. Following continual agitations by the people of Ladakh, the Union home ministry had formed a high-powered committee in 2023 under minister of state Nityanand Rai to discuss ways to protect Ladakh's unique culture, considering its location and strategic importance. During his visit to the strategic region on June 30 and July 1, union home secretary Govind Mohan had met a delegation of the Leh apex body and assured them that next meeting of the MHA with apex body and KDA will be convened soon. It may be stated here that Sonam Wangchuk has recently joined the Leh apex body and also agreed upon to represent high powered committee and sub committee during deliberations with the union home ministry. However, veteran Buddhist spiritual leader Thupstan Chhewang recently quit the apex body and high powered committee. He was the chairman of the high powered panel. In a statement issued to media, Chhewang reiterated his decision to stay away from electoral politics and partisan affiliations. 'In keeping with this stance, I hereby resign as Chairman and member of the Apex Body, as well as from the High-Powered Committee. I prefer not to be entangled in competing interests,' he said in the note.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Wangchuk plans another fast from July 15 to press for demands
(You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk is once again starting a protest fast from July 15 to reiterate the demands of statehood and Sixth Schedule for Ladakh. This phase of protest is scheduled to continue for at least a month and representatives from across the region are likely to participate and support his initiative."We want the government to seriously continue the talks with the representatives of Ladakh on these core issues," he told Centre had on June 3 announced new reservation and domicile policies for Ladakh, reserving 85% jobs for locals and one-third of the total seats in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils for women.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Northern crown
Times of India's Edit Page team comprises senior journalists with wide-ranging interests who debate and opine on the news and issues of the day. Govt did well to address some of Ladakh's concerns. Remaining issues must be resolved sensitively GOI did the right thing by introducing a new reservation and domicile policy for Ladakh. Guaranteeing 85% reservations for locals in govt jobs – excluding EWS category – will address local anxiety about high unemployment. It's important to recall that Ladakhis have been peacefully pressing for their demands, in the best traditions of democracy. This was best exemplified by activist Sonam Wangchuk's walk from Ladakh to Delhi and subsequent 16-day hunger strike last year. To its credit, govt did consult Ladakh's civil society organisations before working out the new policies. However, key demands remain unfulfilled. Ladakh's demands stem from the fact that following nullification of Article 370 in 2019 that abrogated special status for the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir – of which Ladakh was a part – the region was hived off and converted to a UT without a legislature. While initially welcomed – because Ladhakis often felt govts in Srinagar were biased against the region – the new setup was soon seen as inadequate in addressing key issues like unemployment, preservation of local culture, and protection of a fragile ecosystem. Hence the demand for inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. It can't be stressed enough that ecological conservation is central to Ladakh's aspirations. The region is experiencing serious glacier retreat, with some glaciers like Parachik retreating by 12-20 metres per annum. Therefore, development here can't happen the same way as in other regions. We have already seen the adverse impact of non-ecologically compliant infra projects in mountainous states. Also, Ladakh's status as a border region with China and Pakistan brings additional security challenges. Ecology and security are joined at the hip here. Therefore, defence infra projects and people's aspirations must be in harmony. People of Ladakh are our shield. Listen to them. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
