LEH: Lieutenant Governor Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) on Monday reviewed various issued being faced by people of Ladakh and passed several directions, as he chaired a comprehensive review of progress of various departments, with the Departmental Secretaries and Heads of Departments at Raj Niwas, the first after his return from week-long visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
The LG inquired about the status of the New India Literacy Programme (NILP) in Ladakh and the efforts being made by the Department of School Education to help Ladakh achieve the status of a literate union territory.
He also inquired about the attachment of teachers and stated that it should be ‘an exception and not a norm.’
Noting the inconvenience faced by the tourists due to the advisory issued by the Administration of J&K to restrict the movement of traffic due to the Amarnath Yatra, Mishra instructed DIG Ladakh Police to liaise with the Police Department of J&K UT within the given parameters to ensure that the tourists entering or exiting Ladakh do not face any inconvenience.
The LG inquired about the progress of the rationalisation of boundaries of the Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park in Ladakh and instructed the concerned officials to expedite the process.
During the discussion on the airlifting of equipment for the ongoing pilot geothermal project being initiated by ONGC in Ladakh, the LG stated that UT Administration must utilise its tonnage quota to airlift the equipment keeping in mind the importance of the project for Ladakh and also for the country.
Expressing his displeasure over the progress of the ongoing Jal Jeevan Mission works in Ladakh, the LG highlighted the need for possible interventions of the Administration, Hill Council, PRIs and other concerned stakeholders as water will be a major issue for posterity.
Speaking on the issue of providing jobs on compassionate grounds in SRO 43 cases, he instructed the concerned officials to study all the cases and ensure that justice is served to all the dependent family members of the government employees who have died while on active duty.
The LG discussed issues related to pending salaries, the expansion of the Indian Air Force’s area along with parking space at Kargil, the problem faced by Associate National Cadet Corps Officers (ANOs) who are posted at schools without NCC units, the need to prepare a competitive Schedule of Rate, the need to initiate work on the establishment of Sainik School in Ladakh at the earliest, take necessary steps to make Delhi Public School at Leh students and parents-friendly, etc.
Mishra also inquired about the production of millets in Ladakh. Advisor Dr Pawan Kotwal informed the LG about the steps being taken by the Administration to distribute fortified wheat along with fortified rice under the public distribution system (PDS). He highlighted the need to publicise the initiative on various platforms.
Earlier, the Departmental Secretaries informed LG about the progress of the implementation of various schemes and also ongoing projects in Ladakh.
Advisor, Dr Pawan Kotwal, Principal Secretary, Sanjeev Khirwar, Commissioner Secretaries Saugat Biswas and Padma Angmo, Secretaries Ravinder Kumar, Mehboob Ali Khan, Yetindra Maralkar, and Amit Sharma, DIG Ladakh Police, Shaikh Junaid, and other officials and HODs were present in the meeting.
