Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, R K Mathur, calledon Union Minister Jitendra Singh in New Delhi today and offered an update aboutrecent developments following the creation of the Union Territory (UT) ofLadakh three weeks ago.

Singh informed Mathur about the special priority focus to begiven to Ladakh on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He referredto Modi’s emphasis of the development of the region during his visit to Ladakhearly this year and also mentioned a number of projects launched by the PMduring that visit.

Singh recalled that the demand for a Union Territory wasmade by the people of Ladakh soon after independence and it has now beenfulfilled. For the Union Territory of Ladakh, Mathur as the first Lt Governorhas a historic as well as crucial responsibility to deliver, he said.

The recent announcement made by Union Home Minister AmitShah for Rs. 50,000 crore to support the Power Projects in Ladakh and toprovide winter-grade Diesel fuel, said Singh, will not only provide ease ofliving but also be a game changer.

Describing it as a beginning of a new era of the fastdevelopment of Ladakh, Singh also shared with Lieutenant Governor details ofdiscussions he had held with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) to set up Fruit Processing Units for ‘Leh Berry’ in Ladakh and ‘GaroBerry’ for Meghalaya. This, he said, would provide a substantial source oflocal livelihood for the people of Ladakh in the same manner as has beenaccomplished in the North East.

Singh also emphasized the need to explore Ladakh’s potentialfor production of Solar Energy, which could be a boon for the entire country.

He informed the Lieutenant Governor that last year he hadtaken up with the Aviation Ministry the issue of increasing air connectivitywith the region and also regulation of the air fare for the local residents.

Following this, he said, under the UDAN scheme of Governmentof India, an airport for Kargil was approved along with an airport forKishtwar.

Earlier in the week it was announced that Ladakh will get a NationalInstitute of Sowa-Rigpa (NISR) an autonomous National Institute under theMinistry of AYUSH with a mandate to promote traditional medicine and undertakeinterdisciplinary education and research programs in Sowa-Rigpa.