Announces formation of Sindhu Infrastructure Development Corporation
Leh, May 1: Asserting that Ladakh has remained the top priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led regime, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the Union Territory has witnessed rapid transformation since the 2019.
Addressing a gathering here, Shah listed sweeping political, social and economic changes the region witnessed after bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. “Development of the region has remained the priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s development agenda,” he said.
Shah said Ladakh had long demanded Union Territory status due to lack of development. “Today change is visible across all sectors,” he added.
Shah said that Ladakh has now seven districts and 193 panchayats, with five new districts — Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass — created and notifications already issued.
Shah said that local languages had also been given administrative recognition. “Earlier only Hindi and English were in use, but now Bhoti, Purgi and Urdu have also been accorded importance”.
Highlighting infrastructure growth, he said road length in Ladakh has increased from about 1,799 km before 2019 to 4,040 km now. “The road constructions has almost doubled.”
Shah said that the number of bridges has risen from 19 to 72 increasing the number by three times.
Spelling out development in other sectors, he said that mobile towers have increased from 344 to 653, while helipads have gone up from seven to 41, he said. “Snow-clearing machines, crucial for the region, have increased from 60 to 215.” On power infrastructure, Shah said grid-related works have increased from 145 to 184, while distribution transformers have gone up from 1,182 to 3,153.”
“I am giving these figures on this scale because after becoming a Union Territory, it (Ladakh) has remained the focus of the Narendra Modi government, the focus of the prime minister of the country, and so many development works have taken place together,” the minister said.
He said the impact of better infrastructure was visible in road connectivity, with the Zojila Pass, which earlier remained shut for 127 days, remaining closed for only 19 days this year. “The Kargil-Leh road, which earlier remained closed for nearly 175 days, was shut for only 11 days.”
Shah said work on the Zojila tunnel is in progress, construction of the Shinkun La tunnel has started and a new civil airport is also coming up.
He said that VSAT connectivity has been extended to all panchayats and major work has been undertaken to upgrade telecom towers.
In the education sector, Shah said Sindhu Central University has been established, 174 ICT labs set up, 130 smart classrooms created, 40 science laboratories built and 24 Atal Tinkering Labs established.
He said Ladakh became a fully literate administrative unit in 2024 and claimed there was no illiterate person left in the region.
“Nearly 98 per cent households have been provided tap water connections under the Har Ghar Jal scheme, while substantial work has also been carried out in agriculture and horticulture,” he said.
Shah said Ladakh’s budget has risen from Rs 1,000 crore when it was part of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state to Rs 6,000 crore now.
He also announced the formation of the Sindhu Infrastructure Development Corporation, saying it would play an important role in promoting industrial growth in the coming years. “We want this border region to become self-reliant,” Shah said. He asserted that development in the UT is because of the vision of the prime minister.
Terming today’s Buddha Purnima as “truly golden” occasion for the people of Ladakh said, “On this auspicious occasion, after 75 years, the arrival of the sacred relics of Lord Buddha here will inspire followers of Buddhism as well as other faiths.”
Shah said that much like in the life of Lord Buddha, it is rare for anyone to experience their birth, enlightenment, and Mahapari-nirvana all occurring on the very same day; for this reason, today is a highly auspicious and inspiring day for all of us.
He said that today is not only a religious event but also a historic reunion. After so many years, Tathagata Buddha has returned to this sacred land, his most beloved land, which is a matter of great fortune.
Shah urges Kargil women join Centre’ initiatives
Says Govt implementing multiple programmes simultaneously in Ladakh
Kargil, May 1: Stating that that under the cooperative model envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, multiple programmes are being implemented simultaneously in Ladakh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that women of Kargil can bring prosperity into their lives by joining the empowerment launched by the Centre.
Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of a 10,000 litres per day dairy plant in Kargil and launching a series of dairy development initiatives for Ladakh through virtual mode, Shah said, “In a high-altitude region like Kargil, the foundation stone has been laid for a dairy plant with a capacity of 10 TLPD (10,000 litres per day). Women of Kargil can bring prosperity into their lives through this dairy plant, support their families, and become self-reliant.”.
Shah said that he comes from a region where women, through similar small dairy initiatives, have achieved a turnover of ₹1,25,000 crore. He expressed confidence that women here too have the potential to contribute to their families and children’s education.
He said that the new ₹25 crore project will prove to be a blessing for the mothers and sisters of Kargil. “Daily production has begun at the milk plant already operating in Leh,” Shah added.
He said that ITBP and the Army are major buyers in Ladakh, with around 18,000 soldiers stationed at the borders. He expressed confidence that their requirements of milk, curd, and paneer will be met by this plant.
He further stated that a mobile laboratory costing ₹45 lakh has also been launched, which will greatly help in maintaining milk quality. He said that the Android-based AMCS app has also been launched, enabling dairy farmers to transparently monitor their milk accounts on a single platform. This will also boost their confidence. He added that the five livestock farmers who were honoured today are an inspiration for all livestock farmers of Kargil and Leh.
Shah said that Ladakh Milk Federation and Mother Dairy have signed an agreement, which will connect Ladakh to national markets. He said that Ladakh’s organic products should get access to the large market of Delhi. He urged the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to facilitate a tripartite MoU with the National Cooperative Organic Limited. He added that while Mother Dairy products should be sold here, arrangements should also be made for marketing Ladakh’s products across the country through Mother Dairy and other cooperatives.
The Union Cooperation and Home Minister said that dairy infrastructure in Ladakh will be expanded further. A new plant with a capacity of 50,000 litres per day will be established in Leh at a cost of ₹70 crore. “This will tap the growing potential in Leh and will also complement the Kargil plant as milk production increases,” he said, adding, “Efforts will be made to provide high-yield breeds of cows and buffaloes suited to the region’s climate. Approximately 500 such animals will be provided annually to boost milk production.”
He noted that Ladakh has extreme cold conditions and low oxygen levels, so research-based animal breeds suited to these conditions will be introduced. He said there is a plan to nearly triple the livestock population over the next 10 years and expressed confidence that people will respond positively.
He added that after the agreement between Ladakh Milk Federation and NDDB, the network has reached 28 villages with about 1700 milk producers connected. He urged NDDB to expand its reach to as many villages as possible where animal husbandry is feasible and improve the livelihoods of livestock farmers.
Shah said that daily milk procurement has reached around 7000 kilolitres and should be increased to 21,000 kilolitres in the next four years to enhance farmers’ prosperity. He also mentioned that an existing dairy plant has been upgraded and its capacity doubled from 5 TLPD to 10 TLPD. The MoU with the Army will further benefit it.
