Sitharaman visits project site for infra-red observatory in Ladakh

Hindustan Times

18-06-2025

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on Tuesday, visited the project site for national large solar telescope (NLST) near strategic Pangong Lake in Meral area of Ladakh.
The finance minister also took to X and related the information.
'Smt @nsitharaman visits the project site for National Large Solar Telescope (NLST), located near the Pangong lake in Merak, Ladakh at an altitude of around 4200m', she wrote on X.
NLST is a proposed ground based 2-m class optical and near infra-red (IR) observational facility and the site provides significant periods of coronagraphic skies (high transparency), it read further
Dr Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) was also present.
On Sunday, Sitharaman had laid the foundation stone for a mini planetarium and Astro Globe at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in the Changthang region of the strategic region.
The initiative, sanctioned under the special development package comes at an estimated cost of ₹276.65 lakh and aims to promote scientific education, astro-tourism, stargazing, night sky programs, and generate local employment, said an official spokesperson.
At the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre's Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) Telescope facility in Hanle, Prof Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), and Dr K.K. Yadav from the Astrophysical Sciences Division, BARC presented the telescope's current achievements and future plans.
Applauding the efforts of IIA and the local community, Sitharaman remarked, 'This project symbolizes a collaborative spirit between the scientific and public community, a true matter of national pride.' She urged the development of programs tailored for the common public to spark interest in astrophysics through hands-on learning and proactively putting out content generated through these scientific centres.
During her visit to Hanle, Sitharaman engaged with delegations of anganwadi workers, contractor associations, and BJP members from Nyoma, attentively listening to their concerns.
At Rongo, she visited an animal husbandry site where she met with mostly female pashmina goat and yak herders. She distributed goat-shearing machines to support their livelihood.
As part of the Dharti Aaba Janbhagidari Abhiyan, Sitharaman interacted with campaign beneficiaries. She also presented a ₹50 lakh cheque to Nyoma nomads under SBI's Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.
The departments of sheep and animal husbandry hosted a live demonstration of the nomadic lifestyle.
The department of social and tribal welfare showcased a mobile Anganwadi centre for nomadic children and displayed millet-based dishes prepared within the centre.