Union Minister MSME inaugurates ‘CREATE’ in Leh

Leh: The Hon'ble Union Minister for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), GoI, Jitan Ram Manjhi in the presence of Hon'ble Minister of State (MoS), MSME, Shobha Karandlaje and Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh (HLG), Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) virtually inaugurated the Centre for Rural Enterprise Acceleration through Technology (CREATE) at Leh developed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and Department of Industries and Commerce, UT Ladakh. Appreciating the Ministry of MSME, GoI, led by Jitan Ram Manjhi for its cooperation for the benefit and development of Ladakh, the HLG stated that the livelihood means of small enterprises in Ladakh, which are engaged in traditional handloom and handicraft practices, have been enhanced due to its cooperation. Stating that Pashmina has become synonymous with Ladakh, the HLG mentioned that the inauguration of CREATE at Leh will improve the livelihood and skills of artisans/entrepreneurs/SHGs engaged with it. The HLG highlighted initiatives taken by the UT Administration to reduce the mortality rate of Pashmina goat kids by distributing around 1,000 Pashmina kid pens to the beneficiaries and the directions given to veterinary doctors to conduct regular check-ups of the Pashmina goats and providing bottles to the rearers to feed the Pashmina goat kids to meet the nutrition needs. The HLG highlighted the chain created from apricot products to benefit people from rural areas of Ladakh and efforts being made to improve the packaging of sea buckthorn products from Ladakh to improve the livelihood of people engaged in this field. Highlighting the contribution of tourism activities to UT Ladakh's economy and the engagement of a large section of Ladakhi section in this field, the HLG highlighted the Ladakh Homestay Policy initiated by the UT Administration and its benefit as a means of livelihood to the people in rural areas. Hon'ble Union Minister, MSME, GoI, Jitan Ram Manjhi stated that the establishment of CREATE in Ladakh would help in the region's development, particularly the promotion of Pashmina. Stating that life is hard in a challenging region like Ladakh, Manjhi emphasized that the establishment of CREATE is a step towards helping the people of Ladakh, who live at more than 11,000ft, by providing them with employment opportunities and improving their living conditions- which is in line with the Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision of uplifting and empowering the poor and the underprivileged through schemes such as PM Vishwakarma, etc. Terming the day ‘historic' and a new step for Ladakh's overall development, the Chairman of KVIC, Manoj Kumar stated that the establishment of the Center would create new job opportunities for the people of Ladakh. Advisor to the HLG, Dr Pawan Kotwal, highlighted the assistance provided by the Ministry of MSME and the challenges faced by the SHGs engaged in making Pashmina products. Earlier, Secretary, MSME, GoI, SCL Das, welcomed the guests while CEO, KVIC, Vinit Kumar gave the vote of thanks.