Sonam Wangchuk is leading a climate fast in Ladakh. Here's why

Sonam Wangchuk, an engineer-innovator, began a five-day climate fast in Ladakh on January 26. He previously stated that he will sit on a five-day Climate Fast in the 18,000-foot-high Khardungla pass where the temperature is -40°C.

Wangchuk sent an SOS to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 23 urging him to take action as "everything is not well in Ladakh".

Ladakh is critical from a military standpoint, having played a part in the Kargil and subsequent battles. Wangchuk expresses concern about the possibility of corporate development in the union territory, which is expected to exacerbate the already acute scarcity of resources like water. Mining and other similar activities may cause glaciers to melt.


The basic premise of the agitations put forth by the citizens of Ladakh is that they wish to include Ladakh in the 6th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The 6th Schedule essentially gives financial and social autonomy to certain regions across the nation. Sonam Wangchuk is headlining the protests and has requested the Prime Minister to include Ladakh in the said schedule so that they can enjoy a certain level of autonomy. This issue has been already raised in the Indian Parliament on countless occasions.

For the 6th Schedule to apply, the Constitution requires that 50 per cent of a region's population be tribal. Ladakh, with over 95 per cent of its people being tribal, was supposed to be included shortly, Wangchuk adds in the video. Wangchuk stated that Arjun Munda, the Minister of Tribal Affairs, had also made guarantees.

Wangchuk added in the 13-minute video that the people of Ladakh are bewildered as to why the government, which has listened to their 70-year-old desire for a union territory, is not giving attention to this demand.

Wangchuk previously stated that in order to address issues such as climate change, people should change their habits rather than give money to the world. In December, he used current developments in the north mountain region, such as flash floods, to showcase the impacts of climate change, claiming that people in major cities around the world bear far too much responsibility for these changes.

FAQs

Q1. How many schedules are there in the Indian Constitution?
The Indian Constitution contains 12 schedules.

Q2. Which film made a reference to Sonam Wangchuk?
‘3 Idiots’ (2009) made a reference to him.