"Till Border Is Demarcated...": Ladakh BJP MP On Hardships For Grazers

Amid the standoff between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the centre on Monday said till the time the border between the two neighbours is not demarcated, issues related to grazing of livestock would keep coming up.

"The border is not demarcated. Since the border is not demarcated, some issues came up in the past and some are surfacing now. And they will keep on surfacing," Ladakh BJP MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal told reporters when asked about reports of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) stopping Indian villagers from taking their livestock to forward areas in Ladakh for grazing.

Mr Namgyal said the government has brought in programmes like "Vibrant Village" to solve issues that people living in forward areas face.

"The Modi government is developing grazing land, road connectivity and telecommunication facilities are being enhanced so that people don't have to migrate from those areas," Mr Namgyal added.

Recent intelligence reports reaching the government say Chinese soldiers stopped Indian shepherds from grazing their cattle in forward areas. These shepherds live in the high-altitude cold deserts of the Tibet plateau and Ladakh. The local tribespeople have been living here for a long time and grazing their animals in those plains.

Reports indicate Chinese spies and soldiers have been infiltrating these areas under the guise of shepherds.

Due to the LAC tension between India and China in eastern Ladakh, the Chinese army has denied access to Indian cattle herders to Charding Nala area in Dhemchok region, which has triggered a livelihood crisis for locals.

The area has vast grazing lands, traditionally accessed by Indians. Since the 2020 Galwan clash, while India and China have managed to disengage at the key friction points in the Galwan region and the North and South banks of Pangong Lake, China has refused to discuss the disputes at Dhemchok and Depsang plains.

On December 9, Indian soldiers stopped Chinese forces from unilaterally changing the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh.

Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad said India has been trying to bring down imports from China. There have been calls to boycott Chinese products since the Galwan clash.

But government data shows India's imports from China have jumped to a record high in the past 30 months.

"I want to give you an example. Last year, before the Budget, umbrellas worth thousands of crores of rupees used to be imported from China. So we increased import duty by 200 per cent. Earlier, we used to import mobiles. Today we are No. 2 in manufacturing mobiles. Even in the field of toys, we are now exporting," Mr Karad said.