Leh, Jul 25: Chief Secretary of Ladakh, Dr Pawan Kotwal on Friday reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to support local industries in the union territory.
The CS outlined ongoing initiatives aimed at industrial promotion, emphasizing sustainable development and the need to adopt small, efficient units suited to Ladakh’s unique climatic and geographic conditions.
He also highlighted that the Ladakhi people get only a few months to work in industries due to the harsh climatic conditions, which limit industrial activities to a short working season. As a result, they are compelled to work intensively during this limited period.
The CS made these statements as he chaired a meeting along with Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, KK Pathak, Head of the Centre’s Task Force on Deregulation and Compliance Reduction.
This stakeholder, entrepreneurs consultation meeting was followed by a review of the Compliance Reduction and Deregulation exercise underway in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Principal Secretary, Industries & Commerce, Sanjeev Khirwar opened the session with an overview of Ladakh’s industrial ecosystem, highlighting its major sectors including tourism, food processing, pashmina production, and small-scale manufacturing units.
He emphasized the sustained efforts made since 2014 to streamline regulatory processes and to make the region more conducive to entrepreneurship. He also mentioned regulatory challenges and proposed reforms aimed at facilitating ease of doing business in Ladakh.
Stakeholders from various sectors presented their submissions to the Special Secretary. These included appeals from the tourism industry regarding a recent downturn due to incidents in neighbouring regions, and infrastructure development. Representatives from Kargil’s manufacturing sector raised concerns about the need for industrial land and better storage and distribution networks.
Entrepreneurs in food processing sought assistance with custom clearances and land allocation for fruit export units. The pashmina industry advocated for GI tagging and establishment of pashmina testing laboratories in Ladakh.
In his concluding remarks, KK Pathak acknowledged Ladakh’s distinct developmental landscape and commended the visible progress made in recent years. “Ladakh is unlike any other region, and I’ve personally witnessed the positive transformation through my repeated visits. The submissions made today are not only valid but essential. The administration is with you at every step and remains committed to addressing these concerns proactively,” he said.
The second session on the Deregulation and Compliance reduction exercise mainly focussed on the suggestions of the Taskforce Member’s inputs on the Priority Areas submitted by the UT of Ladakh. There was a detailed discussion on the fire safety NOCs, Building Byelaws and Labour laws.
The meeting was attended by senior officials including Dr. L. Franklin, IAS, Secretary, Planning and Finance Department, UT Ladakh, Vikram Malik, IAS, Administrative Secretary, Power Development Department; Shri Bhupesh Chaudhary, IAS, Administrative Secretary, Agriculture & Horticulture Department; Michael D’Souza, IAS, Administrative Secretary, PWD/PHE, Niranjan Chandrashekhar, IRS, Director, Cabinet Secretariat; Gaurav Joshi, Joint Director, MSME; Sanjit Rodrigues, IAS, Secretary, Housing, Urban Development & Tourism; P.T. Rudra Goud, IAS, Secretary, Industries & Commerce and Animal Husbandry; Mohd Ashraf Bhatt, JKAS, Director, Industries & Commerce; and Moses Kunzang, JKAS, Director, Housing and Urban Development and other officers of the UT of Ladakh.
