Col (Retd) Ashwani Kumar Joshi, Director of Business Consulting at Ernest & Young, met with the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, BD Mishra, in New Delhi on March 5.

Col Joshi briefed Lieutenant Governor about Ernest & Young (EY) being a  global leader in consultancy services for around 100 years, operating  in 150 countries with more than three lakh personnel providing various specialized services.

He also informed the Lieutenant Governor about EY’s involvement in various sectors including tourism, agriculture, forestry and climate change, skills development with a team of over 500 sector professionals providing various strategy, management and technology consulting services. He also informed that EY works with different central ministries, states and Union Territories (UTs).  

Col Joshi also shared a proposal for developing an ecosystem for sustainable tourism in Ladakh, addressing issues such as water scarcity and the dumping of single-use plastics due to the influx of tourists. He also informed the Lieutenant Governor of the preliminary landscape assessment and the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework meant for waste management practices and measuring outcomes based on improved solid waste management (SWM) practices.

Col Joshi offered services such as research and management, project development and implementation, support in current GoI programmes, developing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, support in fund management, policy advocacy and networking and capacity building and awareness.

He proposed to support departments of the local government, including LAHDCs, Urban Local Bodies, Culture and Tourism departments to contribute towards sustainable advancement of Ladakhi identity to foster a brighter future for its population. He also proposed the following thematic domains for synergetic cooperation with UT Ladakh, such as municipal services with an acute focus on waste management and sustainable tourist experience with focus on culture and heritage.  

The Lieutenant Governor appreciated EY for their work and stated that he would consult with the concerned departmental secretaries and officials regarding the proposal submitted by the organization.