• Jitendra Singh, Union Minister for Jammu and Kashmir, officially opened the Seismology Observatory in the Udhampur district.
• The Ministry of Earth Sciences spent 20 lakh rupees to establish the third such Center in J&K.

KEY POINTS:

• The observatory will compile a comprehensive seismic record of Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, and many more districts.
• According to  Jitendra Singh, the central government plans to open 152 earthquake observatories over the next four months, including three more in the Kashmir division.
• 100 additional seismological centres of this type will emerge nationwide over the next five years to enhance real-time data collection and monitoring.
• India is getting closer to being a key player in the development and knowledge of seismology.
• The J&K, particularly South and North Kashmir, are in the seismic zone and have such observatories set up.