Two Astronomy labs one each at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Leh, and Kargil was established and e-inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, R K Mathur on March 26 at Raj Niwas. 

The Astronomy labs were established in collaboration with the office of Principal Scientific Adviser, GoI, and sponsored by Shiv Nadar Foundation. 

Lt. Governor said that environment protection was one of the aspirations of Ladakhi people in the newly formed UT of Ladakh. He said that the setting up of these astronomy labs is a culmination of this thought towards a practical understanding of the extra-ordinary clean environment of Ladakh.

He said that these astronomy labs would benefit not only school children and youth at large but could be utilized as a stepping stone to promote Astro tourism in Ladakh.  
Mathur shared the idea conceived to convert Hanley into a dark sky sanctuary and to explore possibilities to promote virtual tourism in Ladakh which he said would generate entrepreneurial opportunities for the local youth. 

He thanked Prof. K Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser, GoI, and the entire team for setting up the Astro labs in Ladakh. Also, he requested their continued support in training and lectures by eminent Astrophysicists, and help to set up 10 more labs in Ladakh. 

He further pointed out the need to utilize the enriched environment of Hanley for continuous research programme by researchers and experts from India and abroad. He asked for continued support from the office of Principal Scientific Adviser, GoI, and Indian Institute of Astro Physics to get these ideas conceptualized on the ground.

CEC, LAHDC, Leh Tashi Gyalson, and CEC, LAHDC, Kargil Feroz Ahmad Khan thanked the Lt. Governor for his initiative in establishing the Astro labs. They expressed hope that these labs would prove highly beneficial to the students and raised the need to expand more such labs in other schools of Ladakh.

Prof. K Vijay Raghavan spoke about the rich legacy that India holds in the history of Astronomy citing Aryabatta and modern tradition using a telescope. He said that every child can aspire to be an astronomer and excel in the field of Astrophysics. This should not remain restricted to a particular section of society. He said that these Astronomy labs will allow the Ladakhi children to unfold their ambition and inspire them to become world-class scientists.