The Minister of State for Textiles (Independent Charge), Santosh Kumar Gangwar today launched the Pashmina Promotion Programme (P-3) and laid the foundation stone of Pashmina Dehairing Plant at Pashmina Dehairing Plant Complex, Skalzangling, Leh. Shri Gangwar assured to implement the programme successfully in time bound manner and increase pashmina wool production up to 65 tonnes by the end of 12th Five Year Plan. He informed that the Ministry will introduce programme for value addition of dehaired Pashmina in Leh itself in consultation with Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. He announced that the Ministry would give priority to Ladakh region being a border state.
Under Pashmina Promotion Programme, major provision has been made for establishment of latest technology imported Pashmina Dehairing Plant at Leh with total financial allocation of Rs.19.35 crore including other machineries like Scouring, Drying, and boiler along with construction of building for installation of these machineries at Leh. The existing Deharing Plant has obsolete Chinese dehairing machine and is not sufficient to de-hair 45 Ton of Pashmina wool produced here and with present capacity it can only de-hair upto five ton pashmina. Ladakh region produces the finest Pashmina wool (specialty fiber) in the world, which has high demand globally. Ladakh region grow about 45 Ton of Pashmina wool every year having population of about 2.50 lakh Pashmina goats in Ladakh region.