Month: September 2021

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India, UK set to announce ‘green grid’ at COP26 summit

The UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, is scheduled to be held between October 31 and November 12 in Scotland, reports Asian Lite News

India and the UK are likely to announce a joint declaration on “one sun, one world, one grid” — or OSOWOG, a concept New Delhi has been pushing through its International Solar Alliance — at the upcoming COP26.

Both countries have been working towards achieving this concept, and the joint venture will be signed by energy ministers of the two nations in the presence of the two Prime Ministers, according to sources.

The UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, is scheduled to be held between October 31 and November 12 in Scotland.

The concept of OSOWOG, which the British have called a green grid, has been personally guided and pushed by Modi and found mention in his Independence Day speech this year. The concept pitches the idea of a transnational solar grid, from which different countries can draw power.

The climate parliament secretariat is handling details of the proposal and more than 100 energy ministers from across the world will sign the proposal, the source said.

The government has been working on the concept of OSOWOG since 2015, engaging with other energy ministers. The idea was first floated by Modi in 2018 at the first meeting of International Solar Alliance, which will also take a lead on this venture. The climate secretariat will put a road map in place at COP26, on how to achieve this vision.

In June this year, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy came out with a request for proposal to hire consultants for converting this idea into a policy and its draft plan envisages connecting 140 countries through a common grid.

Project Modi’s dream

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who visited Washington last week had raised this issue with the CEO of FirstSolar, Mark Widmar, during a meeting.

In course of the talks, Modi elaborated India’s efforts to harness solar energy, including the ‘One world, One sun and One grid’ initiative and investment opportunities in the sector.

“The strong balance created between India’s industrial and trade policies has built ideal opportunities for companies like FirstSolar to establish manufacturing in India. The productivity linked incentive (PLI) schemes will help India attract more investment in manufacturing from the US,” Widmar said.

India, UK climate coordination

Earlier in May, India and UK agreed on urgent action to tackle climate change through new, shared commitments during leader-level call.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson had signed on a new shared roadmap during their virtual meeting that includes measures to help limit global temperature rises and support the communities most vulnerable to the impact of climate change.

They had also reaffirmed their personal commitment to work together for an ambitious outcome at the COP26 climate summit in November and sustained action beyond.

Responding to the meeting, COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma said: “The UK and India share a longstanding partnership and I am greatly encouraged by the steps we have taken today to bolster our joint efforts on tackling climate change. If the world is to become net zero by the middle of the century and keep 1.5 degrees in reach, everyone must work together to make real change for a cleaner, greener planet. I am proud of the close collaboration on this crucial issue which our two countries have forged, especially during this very difficult time for India as it battles against Covid.”

The roadmap sets out an ambitious agenda for UK-India collaboration on fighting climate change, including a new partnership on clean energy transition, which will drive progress on development of renewables like offshore wind, improved energy efficiency and storage, and advances in electric mobility.

Both the countries also committed to collaborating on green hydrogen.

Both agreed to jointly launch a new global Green Grids Initiative at COP26 for countries to work together on interconnected grids for renewable energy, to help deliver India’s vision of One Sun One World One Grid.

Joint action through the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), which the UK and India co-chair. This will support Small Island Developing States to prepare for the impacts of climate change by bolstering their infrastructure.

Also positioning the UK and India as global leaders on biodiversity through strengthening collaboration to protect and restore nature, including through a new joint partnership on forests.

ALSO READ-Sharma to don dual role as Business Secretary and President – COP 26

READ MORE-UK launches series of workshops ahead of COP26

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-Top News India News

Forces told to avoid social media at sensitive locations

In any case, the details of the movement of units or battalions or even the personnel going on leave should not be shared on social media platforms, the alert said…reports Asian Lite News.

Amid heightened security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and western borders after Taliban took over Kabul, Intelligence agencies in their fresh report to the government, have suggested that security personnel must avoid using various social media sites at sensitive locations especially border areas.

The sources quoting the latest Intel input, said that the surveillance agencies have noticed several attempts to ‘infiltrate’ in the social media groups on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and other social networks by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) with pseudo identities.

Sources also said that the high-ups in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) must communicate with the field formations only on the secured communication network and must use the government email network by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

The security personnel have also been dissuaded from making WhatApp calls and calls from other social networks to communicate with their families or even with their colleagues especially if they are posted or deployed on sensitive locations.

In any case, the details of the movement of units or battalions or even the personnel going on leave should not be shared on social media platforms, the alert said. A senior official in the forces said that these do’s and don’ts have been part of the protocol for every personnel and had been adhered to by everyone in the forces.

The intelligence agencies have confirmed reports that ISI has been trying to infiltrate WhatsApp groups of security forces to gather sensitive information.

The agencies have noticed that multiple groups with pseudo identity have been trying to infiltrate Facebook, WhatAapp, Telegram, Signal, WeChat etc, and they have been asked not to accept any invitations on the social network by unidentified numbers or groups.

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England to ease gene editing laws for agriculture

Scientists, however, are not exempted from the obligation to notify the Department for environment food and rural affairs (Defra) of any research trials…reports Asian Lite News.

Gene editing regulations in agricultural research would be eased in England as part of a plan to use post-Brexit freedoms to tackle problems related to farming and food security, the UK farming and environment minister, George Eustice, said on Wednesday.

George Eustice (Wikipedia)

“Gene editing has the ability to harness the genetic resources that nature has provided. It is a tool that could help us in order to tackle some of the biggest challenges that we face – around food security, climate change and biodiversity loss,” Eustice said.

The move, marks the first major shift away from European Union laws, which has prohibited gene editing along with genetically modified organisms for decades amid fears that it is unsafe.

EU Flag

Scientists, however, are not exempted from the obligation to notify the Department for environment food and rural affairs (Defra) of any research trials.

It is reported that the government plans to continue taking steps towards relaxation of regulations in this area.

“The next step will be to review the regulatory definitions of a genetically modified organism, to exclude organisms produced by gene editing and other genetic technologies if they could have been developed by traditional breeding,” Defra announced on Wednesday.

The change just applies to England as agriculture is devolved within the United Kingdom and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own rules. (ANI/Sputnik)

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-Top News PAKISTAN USA

KABUL FALL: US Senate bill targets Pakistan

Section 202 of the bill directly mentions Pakistan and calls for an “assessment of support by state and non-state actors, including the government of Pakistan, for the Taliban between 2001 and 2020.” ..reports Asian Lite News

A bill moved in the US Senate seeking to assess Pakistans alleged role in Afghanistan before and after the fall of Kabul to Afghan Taliban set alarm bells ringing in the upper house of Pakistan parliament, Dawn reported.

Raising the issue of the anti-Pakistan bill that aims to penalise and sanction different countries, Pakistan Peoples Party parliamentary leader in Senate and chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Senator Sherry Rehman said Pakistan was faced with a moment of serious peril after the hasty pullout of US forces from Afghanistan.

Referring to the Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability bill moved by 22 Republican senators, Senator Rehman regretted the US left Afghanistan under a deal that it had directly made with the Taliban yet it was pressing Pakistan to take responsibility for whatever was happening in Afghanistan.

“What is happening to Pakistan is actually worse than what has happened before,” she remarked, the report said.

Mentioning that the bill directly targeted Pakistan, she said it was not the US administration’s policy bill but it was important as it could gather critical mass. “It also points to a rise in toxic sentiments about Pakistan on the Hill, which many of us have worked very hard to reverse,” she observed.

Noting that a smart policy was about anticipating challenges and tackling them with unity and rational response, she said that at least a beginning should be made to address the threats. Section 202 of the bill directly mentions Pakistan and calls for an “assessment of support by state and non-state actors, including the government of Pakistan, for the Taliban between 2001 and 2020.”

“They are clearly saying that the government of Pakistan has supported the Taliban but it’s disappointing to see that no one has actually put it to the parliament for shaping collective responses nor dispelled disinformation that is damaging and painful,” she added.

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-Top News Defence India News

Defence Ministry approves proposals worth Rs 13,165 crore

Of the total amount approved, procurement worth Rs 11,486 crore (87 percent) is from domestic sources…reports Asian Lite News.

The Defence Ministry approved proposals including for Advanced Light Helicopters, guided munition and rocket ammunition valued at Rs 13,165 crore on Wednesday.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in its meeting held under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for Capital Acquisitions proposals for modernization and operational needs of the Indian Armed Forces amounting to approximately Rs 13,165 cr.

Of the total amount approved, procurement worth Rs 11,486 crore (87 percent) is from domestic sources.

Key approvals include helicopters, guided munition and rocket ammunition.

Looking into the need of the Indian Army for an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Squadron to improve its integral lift capability to ensure its operational preparedness, the DAC accorded approval of procurement of 25 LH Mark III helicopters from HAL under Buy Indian-IDDMA at an approximate cost of Rs 3,850 crore in keeping with the continued thrust towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self Reliant India) and ‘Make in India’.

Giving a boost to Indigenous Design and Development of ammunition, the DAC accorded approval for procurement of Terminally Guided Munition (TGM) and HEPF/RHE Rocket Ammunition under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category at an approximate cost of Rs 4,962 crore from domestic sources.

Other proposals worth Rs 4,353 crore were also accorded AoN by the DAC.

In addition, the DAC also approved a few amendments to the DAP 2020 as a part of Business Process Re-engineering to ensure further ease of doing business for the industry as well as measures to enhance procurement efficiency and reduce timelines.

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Community-led bank in UP helps villagers keep moneylenders at bay

That inspired solution — the local bank run by Tharu tribals in the village of Bishunapur in Bahraich has been an inspiration in how to free the community from the exploitation of moneylenders…reports Azeem Mirza

In the foothills of the Himalayas, surrounded by the dense Katarniya Ghat forest, lies the small village of Bishunapur, 47 km from Mihinpurwa village block in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. Home to 2,500 people, of whom 2,200 belong to the scheduled tribe Tharu, the villagers here have had a troubled history with moneylenders.

The residents couldn’t even get half the price on the crops they toiled for as the Mahajans (moneylenders) would take the harvested crop at deeply discounted rates in lieu of loan repayment. If the borrower didn’t have food grains, moneylenders recovered the loan at the rate of 10 per cent per month. However, the situation has changed for the better through an impactful initiative undertaken by the villagers.

Eleven years ago, the youth of Bishunapur formed a bank, named Adarsh Swayam Sahayata Samuh (Ideal Self Help Group). Any resident of the village can borrow money from this bank at an interest rate of only 1 per cent. The people decide and inform the bank when they can repay the loan. Further, if someone is able to repay the money within 15 days, no interest is charged. This has helped the villagers emerged from the web of moneylenders.

That inspired solution — the local bank run by Tharu tribals in the village of Bishunapur in Bahraich has been an inspiration in how to free the community from the exploitation of moneylenders.

Basant Lal, the Pradhan of Bishunapur and the president of the Adarsh Swayam Sahayata Samuh, said, “Ten years ago, our village was in a bad condition. The money lenders would come here as soon as the crop was ready – be it paddy, wheat, maise, lentils – throw down the sack and say, ‘I want the sack to be filled’, without so much as considering if there was enough harvest. So our family elders had to give away the required grain to the moneylenders, even it meant borrowing from others in the village. It was hard to recover from such debts.”

The people of the village brainstormed for many days until the idea for a community-led bank emerged. It was unanimously decided that members would deposit Rs 100 per month to create the fund, and it would be used to give loans to those in need at an interest rate of just 1%.

“One by one, people kept joining, and now the group is 47-members strong. At present, the bank has a sum of Rs 12,16,081, inclusive of deposits by members, interest and fines. A meeting is held every month and it is mandatory for member-shareholders to attend. Absence or failure to pay the monthly deposit in time incurs fines, Lal told said.

Three people in the village manage the Adarsh Swayam Sahayata Samuh: one person motivates villagers to deposit the money, the second person is in charge of collecting the money, whereas the third person maintains the fund and the accounts. In addition, the three members are responsible for updating all the other shareholders of the bank regarding the transactions in the monthly meeting.

“Earlier, when we used to go to borrow money from moneylenders, they used to sit high up as we sat on the ground, waiting for hours. But now, the moneylenders themselves come to the village to ask if anyone needs money. They say, ‘generation after generation has been taking loans from us, why not you?’ We tell them, ‘those days are no more.’ Now, if anyone needs money to sow, buy fertilisers or medicines, they can take money from our bank – the need for the moneylender is over. It is better not to be dependent on anyone to solve our problems. We want such a group to be formed in every village,” said Lal.

The changing legacy of the Tharus

There are seven Tharu villages in the Mihinpurwa Tehsil, having a collective population of about 10,157, said Jang Hindustani, who runs the NGO Sevarth Foundation and has been working in the region for over a decade. “The situation of all these Tharu villages was almost the same as Bishunapur. After establishing the ‘Adarsh Swayam Sahayata Samuh’, other Tharu villages have also followed suit. However, the Bishunapur organisation being the oldest has more funds and has been able to help more people,” he added.

The Tharu tribals have a reputation for being loyal and straightforward. Once Tharus establish a relationship of trust with a person, even if they are simply a shop owner, they will continue to conduct business with them, and only them, unless they are deceived. The Mahajans, who had historically held the households’ trust with ready funds, had taken advantage of this trait for years, said Hindustani. “But now the younger generation has become very smart and aware,” he said.

The Tharus have a colourful history, according to Dr Neelam Agrawal who has been studying the Tharus of Bahraich, Balrampur and Lakhimpur and currently teaches at National PG College, Lucknow. The ‘Rana’ Tharus are considered to be the descendants of Maharana Pratap’s queens. It is believed that when Maharana Pratap was attacked, his queens fled into the forests with their servants and soon their community was established. “This is why the status of women is relatively high amongst Tharus,” Dr Agarwal said. The Dagoria and Kathotia Tharus also consider themselves the descendants of the kings of Nepal.

The tribe, whose bloodline once coursed through royal kingdoms and palaces, had to plead at the doors of the moneylenders. This used to hurt the community’s sentiments and they were ashamed of their poverty. But not anymore, said Munni Lal, a native of Bishunpur village.

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British Army opens first solar farm

Built by Centrica Business Solutions, the solar farm is made up of over 4,000 solar panels and is the first of four pilot sites to officially open…reports Asian Lite News.

The British Army’s first photovoltaic Solar Farm has been officially opened by the Minister for Defence Procurement, Jeremy Quin, on Wednesday.

Completed earlier this month and the size of almost eight football pitches, the solar farm is based at The Defence School of Transport (DST), Leconfield, and forms part of the British Army’s £200 million Project Prometheus investment which is designed to see the Army using renewable energy.

Built by Centrica Business Solutions, the solar farm is made up of over 4,000 solar panels and is the first of four pilot sites to officially open.

Across all four sites, the project estimates £1 million in efficiency savings and 2,000 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) annually, with saving costs due to be reinvested into essential Army infrastructure.

“This multi-million pound investment reaffirms our commitment to Net Zero 2050 and developing a more sustainable service. Significant investment will result in a more efficient and environmentally-friendly estate,” Jeremy Quin said.

Spanning approximately four hectares and with a peak capacity of 2.3Mega Watts, the solar panelled farm is projected to save 700 tonnes of carbon emissions and cut electricity bills by one third annually at DST.

A majority of the energy generated will be used onsite at DST to provide support to personnel based there. This may include powering accommodation, offices, hangars, classrooms and the gymnasium, whilst any surplus will be exported to the grid.

Outlined in the recent Defence Command Paper, innovation and green initiatives will be at the forefront of a future Army, of which Project Prometheus forms a part. This is further supported by the £24 billion increase in spending over four years, as announced by the Prime Minister last November.

“Our first operational solar farm at Leconfield marks a key milestone in the Army’s go-green agenda; it showcases our firm commitment to tackle the effects of climate change, harnessing renewable energy to power our estate,” said Major General David Southall, Director of Basing and Infrastructure.

“Leconfield is the first of four pilot sites to open this year; each builds on our knowledge and expertise, enabling us to upscale and deliver a total of 80 solar farms across the Army Estate within the decade; we continue to Think Big – Start Small – Scale Fast,” he added.

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-Top News India News Politics

Amarinder meets Shah to discusses ‘farm issues’

Sources said that both the leaders discussed several issues, including national security, farmers’ agitation and the current political situation in Punjab…reports Asian Lite News.

Amid speculation of him joining the BJP, former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday evening. The meeting lasted for around an hour at Shah’s official residence here.

However, Singh’s media advisor Raveen Thukral had then denied the former meeting Shah and BJP chief J.P. Nadda, saying he’s on a personal visit to Delhi to meet ‘some friends’.

On Wednesday, Singh tweeted after the meeting with Shah: “Met Union Home Minister @AmitShah in Delhi. Discussed the prolonged farmers’ agitation against #FarmLaws & urged him to resolve the crisis urgently with repeal of the laws & guarantee MSP, besides supporting Punjab in crop diversification.”

Sources said that both the leaders discussed several issues, including national security, farmers’ agitation and the current political situation in Punjab.

There is also speculation that Singh, who was recently asked to resign as Punjab Chief Minister by the Congress leadership, may join the saffron party or float his own outfit. The BJP is ready to welcome him, saying Singh is a nationalist and all nationalists are welcomed in the party.

“Amarinder Singh is nationalist to the core and he always stood for nationalist issues. Apart from his political agenda, he always stood for nationalist issues. All nationalists are welcome to meet the Home Minister. On one hand, the Congress has insulted a nationalist solider and on the other, it inducted a member of ‘tukde tukde gang’. Our doors are open for all the nationalists,” BJP national spokesperson R.P. Singh said.

The BJP leaders, however, are tightlipped about Singh joining the party. A party leader said that the decision, if any, will be taken by the central leadership and it will be communicated to everyone at an appropriate time.

When asked whether Singh will join the BJP, the party’s national general secretary and Punjab in-charge Dusyant Gautam said, “Let’s see. All those who talk in the national interest are welcome to join the party.”

Sources said that the main agenda of discussion during Wednesday’s meeting was the ongoing farmers’ protest in the Punjab.

“Singh can play an important role in pacifying the farmers, who are protesting for almost a year against the three farm laws. He can also convince them to end the ongoing protest,” the sources said.

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2-time Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro joins Trinamool

“Today Congress family is fragmented. There is YSR Congress, Sharad Congress and Indira Congress. My dream is to bring the Congress family together,” he added…reports Asian Lite News.

As expected the two-time Chief Minister of Goa and former Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro joined Trinamool Congress on Wednesday in Kolkata. Ten other Congress leaders also joined Trinamool along with Faleiro.

Flanked by Trinamool Congress All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, State Minister of Panchayat Subrata Mukherjee and the party MP Sougata Roy, Faleiro took the flag of the party from Banerjee and said that his primary job is to fight the divisive policies, vengeance and the culture of intolerance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Addressing a press conference, Faleiro said, “I would like to quote the last testament of Mahatma Gandhi — the Father of the Nation. Just three days before his heinous assassination he had said — ‘Congress which is the oldest national political organisation and which have fought many battles in a non-violent way cannot be allowed to die. It can only die with the nation. A living organism ever grows or dies’.”

Expressing his profound happiness to join Congress, the seven-time MLA of Goa said, “My resignation is the beginning of the unification of the congress family. I have started my journey from the west coast and have reached the east. I am a Congressman and I have lived with that for the last 40 years. I have the same ideology, principles and programs that Congress has. When I am joining Trinamool Congress it is to fulfill my dream to bring the congress family together”.

“Today Congress family is fragmented. There is YSR Congress, Sharad Congress and Indira Congress. My dream is to bring the Congress family together,” he added.

“I will strive to consolidate Congress but before that my main mission is to fight the divisive policies, vengeance and the culture of intolerance of the BJP,” he said.

“Like the country Goa is also suffering because of the BJP. There is economic meltdown, administrative collapse and sharp unemployment. In Goa, 65 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line. The BJP has taken our country 45 years back,” the former veteran Congress leader said.

Before addressing the chief minister, Faleiro met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat in Nabanna. After meeting with Banerjee, Faleiro tweeted, “Meeting the Hon Chief Minister of Bengal, Smt @MamataOfficial with my compatriots. We pledge to protect the people of Goa against divisive and fascist forces. The fight for a new dawn in Goa begins today”.

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‘Well-connected’ Kashmir not too far

Till 2014, there were only seven National Highways in the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir, including Ladakh but in 2021 J&K alone has eleven National Highways…reports Asian Lite News

 The process to build ‘Naya Jammu and Kashmir’ commenced much before August 5, 2019 — when New Delhi announced its decision to abrogate J&K’s special status and divided it into two union territories. After the change of guard in the Centre in 2014, the dispensation led by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, focused on reaching to the root causes of the problems in J&K.

The government identified lack of proper road connectivity as one of the major issues that needed to be addressed. Just within a year, i.e., in 2015 the Prime Minister announced road infra projects worth Rs 40,900 crore for J&K, out of which work on projects of about Rs 38,000 crore is already underway. Till 2014, there were only seven National Highways in the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir, including Ladakh but in 2021 J&K alone has eleven National Highways.

To give impetus to the ongoing development works Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, and J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha laid the foundation stones for four National Highway projects worth Rs 3,612 crore in the J&K UT on September 28, 2021.

PIc credits Twitter .@OfficeOfLGJandK

Gadkari, who was on a 2-day visit to J&K in connection with the Centre’s outreach programme, stated that there was no dearth of funds. He assured that every possible logistic support would be provided to the J&K Government to overcome the challenges in building new highways and roads.

“The new projects will further strengthen the road connectivity in J&K. It will open up new livelihood avenues for the local population, enhance tourism and business activities and improve the quality of life of the people,” he said.

The Minister stated that the government is working on a comprehensive plan to lessen the travel time between the cities. “Be it Delhi-Jammu, or Jammu to Srinagar, the time to travel would be reduced to half by providing expressways and better road connectivity to the people. Mega highway road and tunnel projects will reduce the travel time from Delhi to Kashmir to 8 hrs in coming years,” he announced. (1)

Road connectivity has remained a major issue for Kashmir since 1947. The 300 kilometre Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, only all-weather road connecting the Valley with the rest of the country, has been the most unreliable highway. Its frequent closure, especially during the harsh winter season leads to shortage of everything, including the essential commodities, but during the past seven years work on this highway has been expedited and it’s likely to become a four lane express highway within two years.

At present the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is working on the ‘treacherous’ terrains on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The 36 kilometre long Ramban-Banihal stretch is full of ‘trouble points’. This stretch was realigned and the work on it is likely to get completed by December 2024. The danger points, including Marog, Panthial, Khuni Nullah, Digdol, and Battery Chashma, have been bypassed after realignment. To avoid landslide-prone and sinking areas, tunnels and bridges are being constructed as per realigned project (2).

Work on the widening of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway had started in 2011. Two major tunnels, Nashri tunnel and Banihal-Qazigund tunnel, have been thrown open for the general public and this has reduced the travel time and distance between Jammu and Srinagar. Four laning work from Srinagar to Qazigund and from Jammu to Udhampur was completed long ago. The NHAI is hopeful about completing the remaining work within the stipulated time.

PIc credits Twitter .@OfficeOfLGJandK

New highways in Jammu region

Earlier this month, the Union Ministry for Road, Transport and National Highways had approved two projects worth Rs 2,556.36 crore on the Samba-Jammu and Akhnoor-Poonch National Highways.

The ministry had also approved development work of the Jakh (Vijaypur)-Kunjwani section of National Highway-44 to six-lane Expressway. Jakh-Kunjwanifalls on Samba-Jammu road and is part of the Pathankot-Jammu National Highway. which is presently four-lane.

The ministry had also approved Rs 734.64 crore for work of rehabilitation and upgradation to two-lane with paved shoulders from existing chainage, including the construction of Bhimber Gali Tunnel under 31 TF on Akhnoor-Poonch road (National Highway 144A).

Prior to this the Central Government had already approved widening of Jammu-Akhnoor road followed by Akhnoor-Poonch road via Nowshera and Rajouri.


Zojila and Z-Morh tunnels

Srinagar-Leh National Highway remains closed nearly four months during winter due to heavy snowfall at Zojila, but the under construction 13.2 kilometre Zojila tunnel would provide all weather connectivity to the union territory of Ladakh. It will be India’s longest road tunnel and Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel.

Several bridges are being constructed along this route. The Z-Morh tunnel is being constructed in the Zojila Ghats between Sonamarg and Kargil. The entire work is divided into two divisions in the 33 km span.

The project site of Zojila tunnel is located at existing highway (NH-1) starting from Sonamarg (UT of J&K) and ends at Minamarg (UT of Ladakh) at an elevation ranging from 2700m to 3300m, thus making the Zojila Tunnel the longest tunnel at this elevation in Asia. The present site location falls into seismic zone IV and all precautionary measures have been provisioned to safeguard the structures in the project.

According to Brigadier Gurjeet Singh Kamo, executive director, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), work at Z-Morhtunnel is expected to be over by next year against the target of December 2023 while the Zojila project would be over by 2026.

During his recent visit to the tunnel, Gadkari described Zojila tunnel as a landmark project (3).

Earlier Gadkari had stated that a hill station, more enchanting than the world-famous Davos in Switzerland, is being planned in the picturesque landscape between the 18-km stretch of Zojila tunnel in Ladakh and Z-Morh tunnel. Once the project is completed it will change the dynamics of both Ladakh and J&K and create huge employment.


Mughal Road

This 84-kilometre long road which connects Kashmir with Poonch district in Jammu was opened in 2009 for light motor vehicles. However, it remains open only in summer months.

When it was thrown open for public, politicians in Kashmir had termed it as their “dream project” and had promised the people that it would serve as an alternative all-weather road for the Valley. However, not much headway was made in this regard even 10-years after it was thrown open for the public. In December 2019, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited engaged a Spanish Consultancy firm and an Indian private consultant to prepare a report for the construction of a tunnel near Peer-Ki-Gali which receives massive snowfall during winter.

It is a historical route and is known for its beautiful sights and scenes, which can persuade the tourists across the country to visit this area. It is surrounded by snow laden mountains which glitter like silver throughout the year. The work on this road is all set to be expedited in coming months.

In 2020-21, 3300 km rural roads were constructed

In 2020-21, a record 3,300 km of roads were constructed in remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir. The purpose of these roads was to provide safe and secure all-weather connectivity to far-flung areas across the Union Territory.

Former J&K Chief Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam in May this year had stated that most of the work was undertaken under the flagship programme ‘PradhanMantri Gram Sadak Yojana’ (4).

Addressing the issue of road connectivity to Kashmir is a leap towards bringing the Valley closer to New Delhi and the government is working on it. The projects that have been undertaken during the past seven years have helped in changing the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir. People too have responded positively and have boarded the bandwagon of peace, prosperity and development.

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