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3 August 2024

On China-India Border, Ladakh Blames Modi’s BJP for Unemployment, Stagnancy

Tarushi Aswani

Padma Stanzin has various odd jobs that he needs to do before he can finally sit down to complete the coursework for his Master’s in Sociology degree. Stanzin, 28, resides in Ladakh, a region located on the China-India border, where many like him are on the hunt for opportunities to earn the bare minimum.

On March 8, Sonam Wangchuk, a prominent environmentalist, began a hunger strike, braving extreme sub-zero temperature under open skies, where thousands of locals like Stanzin joined him.

Wangchuk fasted for 21 days, to send a message to the government of India: that Ladakh was disenchanted at the kind of neglect the border region had been enduring under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Unemployed, Uncertain

Jigmet Paljor, a youth activist from Ladakh, regularly receives calls from locals in distress, who want to discuss the rising rate of unemployment in the region.

“Since 2019, Ladakh’s youth had high expectations, but even till today, the government has not planned anything to create more employment opportunities for us,” Paljor told The Diplomat.

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