Chief Secretary, Union Territory of Ladakh, Ashish Kundra chaired the 5th Union Territory Level Coordination Committee (UTLCC) Meeting at Hotel Zen, Leh on October 7 and called for strengthened measures to promote financial literacy, enhance consumer awareness, ensure safer digital payments and prevent financial and digital frauds across the Union Territory. 

The meeting was held under the aegis of Prabhakar Jha, Regional Director, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Prabhakar Jha provided an overview of the UTLCC framework and underscored the need for coordinated efforts to strengthen financial literacy, public awareness and safeguards against emerging financial and digital risks, particularly in view of increasing internet penetration and the growing adoption of digital payment systems.

Gurdeep Kaur, Assistant General Manager, RBI, presented the Action Taken Report of the 4th UTLCC meeting held on July 15, 2026, along with the status of confirmation of its minutes, formation of the UTLCC sub-committee, financial awareness initiatives and proposed awareness programmes by SEBI and the Social Welfare Department. The Committee also discussed the proposed 10-hour hybrid financial literacy course for students of Classes XI and XII and college students, measures against fraudulent digital lending applications and cyber mule syndicates, and mechanisms for sharing market intelligence among concerned agencies.

The Chief Secretary took stock of the progress of the UTLCC sub-committee and directed that its meeting be convened at the earliest. He stressed that financial awareness initiatives must be practical, targeted and outcome-oriented, with greater emphasis on reaching students, vulnerable sections and other digitally exposed groups.

Emphasising the growing threat posed by fraudulent digital platforms, the Chief Secretary called for wider public awareness regarding genuine and verified financial applications and portals. He stressed the need for clear identification of official platforms and stronger coordination with relevant digital platforms to help citizens distinguish authentic services from fraudulent websites and applications.

He further called for financial awareness campaigns in local languages, including Ladakhi, and emphasised the development of concise and informative videos on UPI frauds, digital payment safety, preventive measures and reporting mechanisms for wider dissemination through social media. He also stressed the need to prominently publicise official helpline numbers and channels for reporting financial frauds.

The Chief Secretary directed the concerned departments to further strengthen financial awareness programmes in schools and colleges and ensure coordinated efforts to sensitise students and young people on safe digital payment practices and measures to protect themselves from online financial fraud.

DGP Ladakh,  Anand Jain, IPS, briefed the Committee on emerging cybercrime concerns, including the reported increase in UPI-related frauds in Ladakh. He emphasised timely reporting of incidents and strengthened coordination between banks and law-enforcement agencies for effective prevention and response.

Secretary, Information and Public Relations, highlighted the importance of leveraging social media platforms for wider and timely dissemination of financial awareness messages, particularly among digitally connected sections of the population.

The Committee also deliberated on capacity-building and training programmes for bank and police personnel, with emphasis on financial fraud prevention, cybercrime awareness, reporting mechanisms and effective coordination with financial institutions.

The meeting was attended by Prabhakar Jha, Regional Director, RBI; Anand Jain, IPS, DGP, Ladakh Police; Ram Sarup, Deputy General Manager, RBI, Jammu; Tsewang Tharchin, Secretary, Finance; Secretary, Information and Public Relations; Jatinder Singh Jamwal, Secretary, Law Department; Dr. Rajneesh Garg, IPS, AIG (CIV), Ladakh Police; Sarat Chandra Mahanta, Joint Legal Advisor, RBI; Gurdeep Kaur, Assistant General Manager, RBI; Punchok Dolma, Manager, RBI; Gyanendra Niraj, General Manager, RBI; Jigmet Namgyal, Joint Director, Finance; and other concerned officials.