Hon’ble Dy CM Maharashtra calls on Hon’ble Lt Governor Brig (Dr) BD Mishra.

Leh, Sept 02, 2023: The Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, called on the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd), at Raj Niwas. The HLG accorded a warm welcome to Shri Devendra Fadnavis on his arrival at the Raj Niwas.
Shri Fadnavis apprised the HLG of his two-day tour to Ladakh, including the inauguration of the Trishul War Memorial at Kharu on September 3, in which the Maharashtra government has contributed Rs 3 crores. He stated that the Maharashtra government would provide marketing facilities to artisans from Ladakh at Bombay and Pune to showcase and sell their products along with providing them with space in their exhibition fairs and haats for a longer duration. He also stated that the Maharashtra government could arrange capacity-building programmes for members of the cooperative societies of Ladakh at VM National Institute of Cooperative Management.
Shri Fadnavis informed about the successful implementation of water harvesting structures and proposed to share the plan so that the same could be replicated in Ladakh. He discussed the possibility of a joint venture between UT Ladakh and the Maharashtra government to procure and supply high-quality rebo tents to Changpas which could be used for protecting kids of Pashmina goats.
The HLG discussed various subjects with Shri Fadnavis, including the progress in the overall development of Ladakh since the region became a Union Territory, the plan to set up a separate circuit bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Ladakh, the potential of solar energy in Ladakh, etc.
The HLG stated that scarcity of drinking water and the promotion of pashmina wool from Ladakh are among his major concerns. He also stated that the UT Administration is trying to achieve the saturation of coverage of functional household tap connections (FHTCs) to ensure that the rural households in the region have access to drinking water. He informed about steps being taken by the Administration to restrict the drilling of borewells and clean garbage and boulders from rivers and nullahs.
The HLG stated that the Administration is making concerted efforts to encourage the youth to come up with their start-ups and become entrepreneurs to promote pashmina and also make the job of goat/sheep herding lucrative for the youth. He informed about the Administration’s plan to provide shelters to reduce the mortality rate of kids of pashmina goats in the winter months. He also informed about various fine-quality products made from pashmina wool which are sold in national and international markets.
The HLG also discussed the Homestay Policy adopted by the Administration for the benefit of the homestay owners and to provide experiential learning to tourists about Ladakh’s rich culture and heritage.
Advisor to HLG, Dr Pawan Kotwal and Shri Shrikant Bhartiya from Maharashtra were present in the meeting.