Category: Current Affairs

Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known climate activist and educator, ended his 21-day hunger strike on Tuesday, which was a major turning point in Ladakh's continuous struggle for statehood and inclusion in the Indian Constitution's Sixth Schedule. Sonam Wangchuk Ends 21-Day Hunger StrikeSonam Wangchuk Ends 21-Day Hunger StrikeSonam Wangchuk - (Bhookh Hadtaal)Sonam WangchukThe Sixth Schedule: Protecting Ladakh's Cultural IdentityFrequently Asked Question Wangchuk Ends 21-Day Hunger StrikeWhy did Wangchuk go on a hunger strike?What are the demands of the Ladakhi people?What does the Indian Constitution's Sixth Schedule mean?How is Wangchuk related to the movie "3 Idiots"?Sonam Wangchuk Ends 21-Day Hunger Strike Sonam Wangchuk Ends 21-Day Hunger Strike The fierce winds of Ladakh delivered a potent message of dissent for twenty-one days. Wangchuk, the well-known education reformer and climate activist who served as the model for the film "3 Idiots," went on a hunger strike in order to raise awareness of the concerns of the Ladakhi people. This blog article explores the causes of his protest, the problems that Ladakh is facing, and the possible repercussions of his actions. He proclaimed, "Our battle for statehood and the Sixth Schedule is far from over." "Even though my hunger strike is over, we won't stop fighting for Ladakh's rights and recognition until justice is served." The 2009 Bollywood hit film 3 Idiots included Phunsukh Wangdu, a character based on Wangchuk's life story. His hunger strike attracted notice both locally and nationally, bringing the people of Ladakh's complaints to light and greatly increasing public awareness of their plight. India is referred to as the "Mother of Democracy" by this government. Wangchuk just posted on X, the former Twitter. "But, India can only be referred to as the Stepmother of Democracy as far as Ladakh is concerned if it refuses to grant the people of Ladakh democratic rights and keeps the region governed by bureaucrats in New Delhi." END 21st Day OF MY #CLIMATEFASTI'll be back... 7000 people gathered today.It was the end of the 1st leg of my fast. Btw 21 days was the longest fast Gandhi ji kept. From tomorrow women's groups of Ladakh will take it forward with a 10 Days fast, then the youth, then the… pic.twitter.com/pozNiuPvyS— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) March 26, 2024 Sonam Wangchuk - (Bhookh Hadtaal) Wangchuk began his hunger strike on March 6 and said he would stay on it for 21 days, adding that he would go on "till death." The strike started after negotiations between the central government and joint representatives of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which is leading the push for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, and the Apex Body, based in Leh, came to a standstill. What little regional autonomy the Buddhist enclave had was taken away when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government divided it off from the Jammu and Kashmir region in 2019. Though that hasn't happened yet, Modi's party made a pledge during the 2019 national elections that Ladakh would be included in the states recognized under the sixth schedule of the constitution, allowing elected local councils to be established to safeguard tribal lands. In a previous interview with Reuters this week, Wangchuk, 57, declared, "Ladakh has no democracy." He went on to say that if the area had elected officials, legislation might be created to safeguard the land and forests from mining and industrial interests. Also Read: New Zealand Ban E-Cigarettes Disposable vapes to Protect Youth 2024 Requests for comment were not immediately answered by Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, the federal interior ministry, or the office of the lieutenant governor of Ladakh. Discussions about the local requests broke down on March 4 between officials of the region and the federal interior ministry. The co-chairman of the Kargil Democratic Alliance, Asgar Ali Karbalai, said, "They have been rude and gave cold-shoulder responses." This month, the Indian Express reported that the government had turned down requests for autonomy for Ladakh but had agreed to protect local jobs and land as well as solve other issues. Sonam Wangchuk According to Wangchuk, a 13-gigawatt renewable energy project was "thrust" upon Ladakh's nomadic pastures by the federal government without prior local consultation. "Ladakh resembles a planet's thermometer. Thus, if it is destroyed, a worldwide calamity will result," he declared. Scientists have cautioned that by the end of the century, global warming could cause the glaciers in the Hindu-Kush Himalaya to lose up to 75% of their volume, resulting in hazardous flooding and water shortages for 240 million people. On April 7, locals and tribal members who live on the move will march to the Chinese border to draw attention to the land they claim has been taken by Chinese encroachment and business interests, according to Wangchuk. Shepherds in the area claim that some of their grazing ground has been taken over by China, and earlier this year, a Chinese Army patrolling unit and several shepherds got into a fight. The Sixth Schedule: Protecting Ladakh's Cultural Identity Wangchuk is also a strong advocate for Ladakh's inclusion in the Indian Constitution's Sixth Schedule. This clause guarantees indigenous groups a certain amount of autonomy over their internal affairs and provides additional safeguards for them. Ladakh is think that being included in the Sixth Schedule will shield them from the exploitation of their natural resources and changes in population, given their unique cultural heritage and delicate ecological balance. They worry that an inflow of foreigners may weaken their sense of cultural identity and upset the area's fragile ecology. Frequently Asked Question Wangchuk Ends 21-Day Hunger Strike Why did Wangchuk go on a hunger strike?Wangchuk went on a hunger strike to demand statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which offers protections for tribal communities.What are the demands of the Ladakhi people?The parties' principal goal is to add Ladakh to the Constitution's Sixth Schedule, which addresses how tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram are to be administered. It enables local people to have a major influence on the management of these areas.What does the Indian Constitution's Sixth Schedule mean?The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution provides special autonomy for certain tribal areas in northeastern India. It allows these regions to form their own district councils with some legislative, judicial, and administrative powers. This helps them manage their own affairs and preserve their unique culture.How is Wangchuk related to the movie "3 Idiots"?Wangchuk is the real-life inspiration behind the character of Phunsukh Wangdu, the innovative and unconventional teacher played by Aamir Khan in the Bollywood movie "3 Idiots."