NEW DELHI: Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday sanctioned the regional centre of an institute to study Himalayan ecology in Ladakh, which is set to become a union territory on Thursday.
Sharing it through a tweet, Javadekar said, "Happy to sanction Regional Centre of GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development at Ladakh to study the Himalayan ecology."
The GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED) has five existing centres at Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and New Delhi.
With the sanction of one in Ladakh, the institute will have six centres.
The GBPIHED was established as an autonomous research and development institute by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 1988-89 with its headquarters at Kosi-Katarmal, Uttarakhand.
"However, most of the Trans Himalayan zone, which includes biogeographic provinces like Ladakh mountains Tibetan Plateau could not be adequately benefitted by the projects to be coordinated by the institute owing to its geographical remoteness," an official from the ministry said.