Leh, Aug 11: Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta has launched a transformative initiative to empower rural women in Ladakh by promoting Self-Help Groups (SHGs) through training in business models, product packaging, and marketing to help rural women become ‘Lakhpati Didis’.
The LG emphasized showcasing SHG products at high-visibility platforms like airports to help women achieve ‘Lakhpati Didi’ status.
During a review meeting at the LH Secretariat, the LG evaluated the progress of departments including Law & Justice, Social & Tribal Welfare, Rural Development, IT, and Disaster Management.
Special Secretary Qureshi Tariq Mehmood highlighted the Law & Justice Department’s efforts in legal advisory, litigation, legislative drafting, infrastructure projects, and addressing staff shortages.
The LG called for full implementation of central schemes to ensure no beneficiary is overlooked, directing surveys to identify disabled children for targeted support and advocating counselling to address genetic risks from consanguineous marriages.
Administrative Secretary Shashanka Ala presented schemes under Social & Tribal Welfare, such as ICDS-Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya, Mission Shakti, PM Matru Vandana Yojana, disability support schemes, and Lt Governor’s Student Support (Rewa). She also reviewed Rural Development Department initiatives like MGNREGA, SBM-Gramin, PMAY-Gramin, DAY-NULM, and Watershed Development. IT Department updates included 4G mobile tower connectivity, Ladakh State Data Centre, Bharat Net Project, and e-office. Disaster management measures included an Emergency Operation Centre and tech-based interventions.
The LG directed the concerned department officials to conduct survey to identify disabled children in Ladakh so that all central government schemes could be provided to them.
Highlighting BDO shortages, the Lt Governor suggested promoting Panchayat Inspector Grade I to BDO posts. He called for improved solid and wastewater management for a healthy Ladakh and ODF+ certification, as well as inter-department convergence for watershed projects.
For complete mobile connectivity, the Lt Governor directed telecom companies to meet targets on time. He stated that courses on wildlife, ecology and other subjects which is fundamental to Ladakhi youth must be introduced so that they can take them up further and make a livelihood out of it. He directed the concerned departmental officials to augment emergency systems to provide timely assistance to the public in times of emergency.
Later in the day the LG has stressed the need to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out of central government welfare schemes, particularly the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
He called for maximum registration under ABDM to build a robust digital health ecosystem in the Union Territory.
Chairing a meeting with Mission Director, National Health Mission, UT Ladakh, Tushar Anand, at the LG Secretariat, Gupta emphasised wide-scale promotion of health initiatives so that the benefits reach every household. He appreciated NHM’s plan to install hoardings across Ladakh to spread awareness about ABDM.
In another meeting, a delegation from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) sought his intervention to route all expeditions to open and closed peaks in Ladakh through IMF, in line with the newly framed Ladakh Mountaineering Policy 2024.
Job aspirants in the Handloom Department also called on the Lt Governor, requesting inclusion of diploma holders in Handloom and Textile Engineering in recruitment notifications and early advertisement of posts by the Ladakh Subordinate Services Staff Selection Board.
Members of ‘Team Stringmo’ presented the Lt Governor with a handmade painting ahead of Independence Day and briefed him about their art workshops conducted for nearly 500 students in Kargil. They sought space for an art gallery and support for an exposure tour to an Art College outside Ladakh.
A delegation from Ibex Colony and line producer George Odpal also met the Lt Governor.
Reiterating the UT Ladakh Administration’s commitment, Kavinder Gupta assured full support for the dissemination and saturation of welfare schemes for the people of Ladakh.
