Chief Secretary chairs 5th UTLCC, Stresses Stronger Financial Literacy and Digital Fraud Prevention.

Chief Secretary chairs 5th UTLCC, Stresses Stronger Financial Literacy and Digital Fraud Prevention.
Leh, October 7, 2026: Chief Secretary, Union Territory of Ladakh, Shri Ashish Kundra, today chaired the 5th Union Territory Level Coordination Committee (UTLCC) Meeting at Hotel Zen, Leh, and called for strengthened measures to promote financial literacy, enhance consumer awareness, ensure safer digital payments and prevent financial and digital frauds across the Union Territory. The meeting was held under the aegis of Shri Prabhakar Jha, Regional Director, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Shri Prabhakar Jha provided an overview of the UTLCC framework and underscored the need for coordinated efforts to strengthen financial literacy, public awareness and safeguards against emerging financial and digital risks, particularly in view of increasing internet penetration and the growing adoption of digital payment systems.
Smt. Gurdeep Kaur, Assistant General Manager, RBI, presented the Action Taken Report of the 4th UTLCC meeting held on July 15, 2026, along with the status of confirmation of its minutes, formation of the UTLCC sub-committee, financial awareness initiatives and proposed awareness programmes by SEBI and the Social Welfare Department. The Committee also discussed the proposed 10-hour hybrid financial literacy course for students of Classes XI and XII and college students, measures against fraudulent digital lending applications and cyber mule syndicates, and mechanisms for sharing market intelligence among concerned agencies.
The Chief Secretary took stock of the progress of the UTLCC sub-committee and directed that its meeting be convened at the earliest. He stressed that financial awareness initiatives must be practical, targeted and outcome-oriented, with greater emphasis on reaching students, vulnerable sections and other digitally exposed groups.
Emphasising the growing threat posed by fraudulent digital platforms, the Chief Secretary called for wider public awareness regarding genuine and verified financial applications and portals. He stressed the need for clear identification of official platforms and stronger coordination with relevant digital platforms to help citizens distinguish authentic services from fraudulent websites and applications.
He further called for financial awareness campaigns in local languages, including Ladakhi, and emphasised the development of concise and informative videos on UPI frauds, digital payment safety, preventive measures and reporting mechanisms for wider dissemination through social media. He also stressed the need to prominently publicise official helpline numbers and channels for reporting financial frauds.
The Chief Secretary directed the concerned departments to further strengthen financial awareness programmes in schools and colleges and ensure coordinated efforts to sensitise students and young people on safe digital payment practices and measures to protect themselves from online financial fraud.
DGP Ladakh, Shri Anand Jain, IPS, briefed the Committee on emerging cybercrime concerns, including the reported increase in UPI-related frauds in Ladakh. He emphasised timely reporting of incidents and strengthened coordination between banks and law-enforcement agencies for effective prevention and response.
Secretary, Information and Public Relations, highlighted the importance of leveraging social media platforms for wider and timely dissemination of financial awareness messages, particularly among digitally connected sections of the population.
The Committee also deliberated on capacity-building and training programmes for bank and police personnel, with emphasis on financial fraud prevention, cybercrime awareness, reporting mechanisms and effective coordination with financial institutions.
The meeting was attended by Shri Prabhakar Jha, Regional Director, RBI; Shri Anand Jain, IPS, DGP, Ladakh Police; Shri Ram Sarup, Deputy General Manager, RBI, Jammu; Shri Tsewang Tharchin, Secretary, Finance; Secretary, Information and Public Relations; Shri Jatinder Singh Jamwal, Secretary, Law Department; Dr. Rajneesh Garg, IPS, AIG (CIV), Ladakh Police; Shri Sarat Chandra Mahanta, Joint Legal Advisor, RBI; Smt. Gurdeep Kaur, Assistant General Manager, RBI; Smt. Punchok Dolma, Manager, RBI; Shri Gyanendra Niraj, General Manager, RBI; Shri Jigmet Namgyal, Joint Director, Finance; and other concerned officials.
Chief Secretary chairs 5th UTLCC, Focuses on Financial Literacy and Digital Fraud Prevention Measures
Leh, October 7, 2026: Chief Secretary, Union Territory of Ladakh, Ashish Kundra, today chaired the 5th Union Territory Level Coordination Committee (UTLCC) Meeting at Hotel Zen, Leh, to review measures related to financial literacy, consumer awareness, digital payment security and prevention of financial frauds. The meeting was held under the aegis of Shri Prabhakar Jha, Regional Director, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Shri Prabhakar Jha gave an overview of the UTLCC framework and highlighted the need to strengthen financial literacy, public awareness and safeguards against financial and digital risks, particularly with increasing internet penetration and adoption of digital payment systems in the Union Territory.
Smt. Gurdeep Kaur, Assistant General Manager, RBI, gave a detailed presentation on the Action Taken Report of the 4th UTLCC meeting held on July 15, 2026, confirmation of its minutes, formation of the UTLCC sub-committee, financial awareness initiatives and proposed awareness programmes by SEBI and the Social Welfare Department. Discussions also covered the proposed 10-hour hybrid financial literacy course for students of Classes XI and XII and college students, fraudulent digital lending applications, cyber mule syndicates and sharing of market intelligence among concerned agencies.
The Chief Secretary reviewed the progress of the UTLCC sub-committee and directed that a meeting be convened at the earliest. He stressed that financial awareness programmes should be practical, targeted and measurable, with greater focus on reaching students and vulnerable sections of society.
He also emphasised the need to create awareness about verified and genuine financial applications and portals in view of the increasing number of fraudulent websites and apps. He suggested wider dissemination of information on official and verified platforms and better coordination with relevant digital platforms.
The Chief Secretary called for financial awareness campaigns in local languages, including Ladakhi, and suggested developing short videos on UPI frauds, digital payment safety and preventive measures for wider circulation through social media. He also stressed the need to prominently publicise official helpline numbers and reporting mechanisms.
The Chief Secretary further directed the concerned departments to strengthen financial awareness programmes in schools and colleges and called for coordinated efforts to sensitise students and young people about safe digital payments and measures to protect themselves from online financial fraud.
DGP Ladakh, Anand Jain, briefed the Committee on cybercrime concerns, including the reported rise in UPI-related frauds in Ladakh, and stressed the importance of timely reporting and coordination between banks and law-enforcement agencies.
Secretary, Information and Public Relations, highlighted the importance of using social media for wider dissemination of financial awareness messages, particularly among digitally connected sections of the public.
The meeting also discussed capacity-building and training programmes for bank and police personnel on financial fraud, cybercrime, reporting mechanisms and coordination with financial institutions.
The meeting was attended by Shri Prabhakar Jha, Regional Director, RBI; Shri Anand Jain, IPS, DGP, Ladakh Police; Shri Ram Sarup, Deputy General Manager, RBI, Jammu; Shri Tsewang Tharchin, Secretary Finance; Secretary, Information and Public Relations; Shri Jatinder Singh Jamwal, Secretary, Law Department; Dr. Rajneesh Garg, IPS, AIG (CIV), Ladakh Police; Shri Sarat Chandra Mahanta, Joint Legal Advisor, RBI; Smt. Gurdeep Kaur, Assistant General Manager, RBI; Smt. Punchok Dolma, Manager, RBI; Shri Gyanendra Niraj, General Manager, RBI; Shri Jigmet Namgyal, Joint Director, Finance; and other concerned officials.