LEH: Lieutenant Governor, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) on Friday held a meeting with the concerned departmental secretaries to discuss the progress of development works of their respective departments, at Raj Niwas.
LG inquired about the status of the saturation of tuberculosis (TB) cases and asked if 100 percent saturation will be achieved by 2025. Principal Secretary, Health, Dr Pawan Kotwal informed LG that there are currently 340 TB cases in Ladakh.
The Truenat machines were used to detect TB cases in Ladakh and efforts are being made to make Ladakh a TB-free region by the end of 2023, the LG was informed.
The LG emphasised the need to sensitise the people of Ladakh about maintaining the surroundings clean by raising awareness through various cleanliness drives. He also inquired about necessary measures that can be taken to address the issue of single-use plastic. Commissioner Secretary, Rural Development Department, Saugat Biswas, informed HLG about a plan being prepared by the Department to install water vending machines to reduce plastic pollution in Ladakh.
LG inquired about merging Grievance Redressal Cell with the Immediate Assistance Cell to be set up by the Administration for the quick redressal of the issues faced by the people of Ladakh.
The departmental secretaries and concerned officials informed LG about the pending works in their departments and the issues faced by them.
The meeting was attended by LG’s Advisor, Umang Narula; Principal Secretaries, Dr Pawan Kotwal and Sanjiv Khirwar; Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Ladakh Police, Satish Khandare; Commissioner Secretaries, Saugat Biswas and Padma Angmo; Secretaries, Mehboob Ali Khan, Ravinder Kumar, Yetindra M Maralkar; Deputy Commissioner, Leh, Shrikant Suse and other concerned officials from other departments.
Earlier in the day, the LG virtually attended the One World TB Summit which held in Varanasi on the occasion of World TB Day presided over by the Prime Minister of India.
In the meeting, PM stated that Jan Bhagidari has made it possible for India to move closer to achieving the goal of TB-Mukt Bharat by 2025 against the global target of 2030. He lauded the contribution of Ni-kshay Mitras & stated that their work has added momentum to the fight against TB.
Meanwhile, throughout the day, Lieutenant Governor met with as many as eight delegations including the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) representatives from Nubra, Nyoma and Durbuk sub-divisions, at Raj Niwas and requested for their cooperation in the overall development of the region for the benefit of the people of Ladakh.
HLG suggested that the plans for the development at the grassroots level should first come from the elected representatives at the panchayat level followed by the PRI representatives at the tehsil level and then from the block-level PRI representatives. The plan will be finally presented at the Council level, he said. The funds allocated by the Centre will then be utilised for top-priority development works at all three tiers of the Panchayati Raj system. Chairpersons of BDCs and sarpanches raised several issues related to their constituencies.
Councillor, Phyang, Tundup Nurbu informed the LG about the alarming rise in the number of cancer patients in Ladakh as per the article published by the International Journal of Cancer and Treatment and raised the need for establishing a super-specialist hospital for cancer in Leh.
A delegation from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Ladakh led by its State Convenor, Tsering Punchok, requested LG to issue a fresh notification for the posts of Registrar and Assistant Professors on a contractual basis which was advertised last year and also to refer the vacant gazetted posts to J&K Public Service Commission, while a delegation from Block Congress Committee, Durbuk, led by its President, Sonam Tsering requested LG to grant district status to Changthang among other issues.
A delegation comprising members of the Special Frontier Force (SFF) Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association Ladakh led by Naib Subedar (Retd) Tsultrim Gyatso called on the HLG at Raj Niwas. Director, Rajya Sainik Board Ladakh, Col (Retd) Lobzang Nima was present in the meeting, while a delegation from Confederation of Ex-Paramilitary Forces Martyrs Welfare Association (COEPFMWA) led by its Chairman, HR Singh (Retd ADG) called on the HLG at Raj Niwas.Singh requested for the establishment of Ardh-Sainik Welfare Board in Ladakh; opening Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) dispensary in Leh and Kargil; increasing ex-gratia provided to next of kin of martyrs to Rs 1 crore; establishing Ardh-Sainik Schools in Leh; exemption on GST at CPC canteens and conduct a survey of serving and retired personnel along with martyrs of paramilitary forces in Ladakh, etc.
Sonam Paljor, Coordinator Ladakh, who is the former Commandant, ITBP, requested HLG to set up a climbing wall to promote climbing activities in Ladakh. He also requested for conducting cleanliness drives to keep the surroundings clean.
