Delegation of LAHDC Leh Councillors calls on Hon’ble Lt Governor Brig (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd)

Leh, April 09, 2025: A delegation comprising Hon’ble Councillors from LAHDC Leh led by Councillor, Lamayuru, Dr Morup Dorjay, called on the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd), at the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat. Chief Secretary, Dr Pawan Kotwal, IAS; Commissioner/Secretary to the HLG, Dr L Franklin, IAS; Additional Secretary, Law and Justice, Shashikant Bhagat; Director, Finance, Dr Safdar Ali, IRS, were present in the meeting.
Dr Morup Dorjay apprised the HLG of the issues faced by the people of Ladakh in availing loan benefits from J&K and Ladakh Finance Corporation due to the alleged malpractices and the accumulated loss faced by the Corporation. The delegates requested the HLG to bifurcate J&K and Ladakh Finance Corporation into separate J&K Finance Corporation and Ladakh Finance Corporation for better transparency and better distribution of loans among the beneficiaries from Ladakh. The delegates also raised the issues faced by the people in remote villages due to the delay in making BSNL mobile towers functional in their constituencies.
It was informed in the meeting that post-abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35-A, after which the J&K Reorganisation Act 2019 came into being, it was mutually decided between the two governments of UT Ladakh and J&K to jointly operate J&K Finance Corporation by rechristening it J&K and Ladakh Finance Corporation. It was also informed that the move to bifurcate J&K and Ladakh Finance Corporation into separate Finance Corporations of J&K and Ladakh would need an amendment in Parliament. It was further informed in the meeting that the Sindhu Infrastructure Development Corporation (SIDCO) has taken over the functions of the J&K SC, ST, OBC Development Corporation and other related entities, including the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) and National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC) and loans would soon be disbursed to beneficiaries.
The HLG assured to take up the matter with the Ministry of Home Affairs. Regarding the BSNL mobile tower issue, the HLG assured that necessary measures would be taken and instructions passed to BSNL officials to make the towers functional at the earliest.