The Union Textiles Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar dedicated five Solarised Community Centre and 100 shelter homes for the benefit of the nomads (wool-growers) involved in Pashmina sheep rearing, in very hard conditions; in Ladakh region yesterday.The Minister travelled six hours by road in Karzok and Samad in the Changthang area to interact with the nomads. During the interaction, the Minister announced that all other kinds of help in respect of marketing of raw pashmina and linking pashmina products with tourism would be facilitated by Government of India.The Minister also informed that during the last two years, animal productivity (average pashmina yield) has gone up by 9.30%. He said that mortality of livestock has come down and critical rural infrastructure has been created under the scheme during this period, in remote and nomadic areas, situated mostly in border areas. Shri Gangwar noted that the health and body weight of animals have improved, socio-economic status of Pashmina breeders has improved and returns from Pashmina wool have gone up. The Minister said that Pashmina development schemes have ultimately resulted in increase profitability to herders engaged in Pashmina goat rearing, making it extremely popular among the livestock-rearing nomads of the Ladakh region.
Background
Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Leh on 12th August, 2014, announced Pashmina Promotion Programme (P-3) with additional financial assistance of Rs. 30 crore for improving quality and quantity of pashmina wool as well as living standards of nomads (wool growers) of Ladakh region. Consequently, the Ministry of Textiles developed the Pashmina Promotion Programme (P-3) for these purposes, which was launched by Hon’ble Minister of State for Textiles (Independent Charge), Santosh Kumar Gangwar in October 2014; the Minister also laid the foundation stone for a Pashmina Dehairing Plant building at Leh on the occasion.Under this Programme, financial assistance is being provided under different components like Creation of Common Pashmina Facilitation Centre for Wool testing, Disease Surveillance Centre, Geographic Information System (GIS) Lab, Shelter for Nomads, Portable Electric Units for Handloom Spinning/Weaving, Solarised Community Centres, Open Fodder enclosures, Distribution of Foundation Stock (male & female goats) to farmers and construction of Shelter for Housing of Pashmina animals.