Nitin Gadkari Approves 29 Ladakh Road Projects Worth Rs 1170.16 Crore

The Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari approved 29 road projects in Ladakh worth Rs 1170.16 crore on 29 December 2023. These 29 road projects in the Union Territory of Ladakh are for state highways and other district roads.

• Apart from this, Rs 181.71 crore has been allocated for 8 bridges in Ladakh under the CRIF scheme for the financial year 2023-24.

Benefits from these road projects:

• Ladakh will have better connectivity with its remote villages through these road projects.
• There will be easy access to strategically important areas.
• Economic activities will get a boost especially in agriculture and tourism.
• Will contribute to the overall infrastructural development of Ladakh.

About Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) Scheme:

• CRIF was established in 2000 under the Central Road Fund Act 2000.
• CRIF was earlier known as the Central Road Fund.
• This fund includes cess imposed along with excise duty on petrol and diesel.
• The administrative control of CRIF comes under the Ministry of Finance.
• Earlier, CRIF was under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

About Union Territory Ladakh:

• The area of Ladakh is 95,876 square km. Ladakh is also known as the “Land of Passes”. India administers Ladakh as a union territory.
• Ladakh has a very harsh climate. It is one of the highest and driest places on earth. The climate of Ladakh is known as a "cold desert" climate due to the combined characteristics of arctic and desert climates.

Location of Ladakh:

• Formerly the Chinese Tibet Autonomous Region.
• The Indian state of Himachal Pradesh in the south.
• Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the west.
• It is bounded on the north by the Karakoram Pass.

Main river systems of Ladakh:

• In Ladakh, the Indus River and its major tributaries, the Shyok-Nubra, Hanle, Zanskar and Suru rivers flow through this region.
• The entire area lacks vegetation except the Ladakh valley floor and irrigated areas.
• Widespread temperature drops and seasonal fluctuations are seen here. The temperature ranges from -40 °C in winter to + 35 °C in summer. There is very little rainfall, with annual snowfall ranging from 10 cm to 30 cm.
• Due to the high altitude and low humidity, radiation levels here are among the highest in the world.

Soil of Ladakh:

• The soil of Ladakh is coarse and sandy; the soil here has less organic matter and little water-holding capacity.