Steps initiated for declaration of ‘Indus River’ as UNESCO World Heritage.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization:

• It was founded in 1945 and its Headquarters are in Paris, France.
• A World Heritage Site is a place on earth having a special cultural or physical significance and outstanding universal value to humanity.
• It may be a building, a city, a complex, a desert, a forest, an island, a lake, a monument, or a mountain.

KEY POINTS:

• The Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh and the National Monuments Authority (NMA) has initiated steps to seek a declaration of the “Indus River” as an UNESCO World Heritage.
• Lieutenant Governor, Radha Krishna Mathur termed “Indus River” as the “Lifeline of Ladakh”.
• The Culture Department, Ladakh also plans to publish a Coffee Table Book on the river Indus so as to bring to light history and to generate awareness about the mighty “Indus”.
• According to MP Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, highlighted the need to consider the usage of water and developmental activities along and around the river in case the river Indus is declared as UNESCO World heritage.