26th Mela of Ladakhi-Kisan-Jawan-Vigyan Mela inaugurated in Leh

The 26th Ladakhi-Kisan-Jawan-Vigyan Mela was recently inaugurated by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Leh, Jammu and Kashmir. It was organised by Leh-based Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

About Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR)

It is constituent laboratory of DRDO. It was established in 1960 to meet fresh food requirement of soldiers deployed in the harsh terrain of Ladakh. It has core competence in cold arid agro-animal technology. It aims to meet fresh food requirement of the soldiers at high altitude cold desert condition. It is also responsible to make region reasonably green. Its research stations are located at Ranbirpura, (Ladakh). Partapur (Siachen Sector), Base Laboratory (Chandigarh). It also hosts world’s highest terrestrial R&D Centre at Changla, Ladakh.

Contributions: It is known for many success stories in translating science to alleviate real-life problems being faced in the remote Ladakh region. It is now working to develop newer technologies to make fresh food available even in remotest locations in the Himalayas. Technologies developed by it provides Indian Army locally grown fresh organic farm produce and as a spin-off of its technologies developed, farmers in Ladakh region are able to produce a variety of  vegetables and fruits resulting in improving their socio-economic condition. The interdependence created between locals and Army through scientific endeavours of DIHAR has contributed to socio-economic upliftment of local farmers.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2019