Union Minister of Textiles, Giriraj Singh, presented the Geographical Indication (GI) Registration Certificate for Ladakh's Pashmina Wool to the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd), in a ceremony held at the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat on October 5. The event was attended by officials from the Ministry of Textiles, Central Wool Development Board, Textiles Committee, Industries and Commerce Department of UT Ladakh, Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs), artisans, and entrepreneurs.
During the event, the Lieutenant Governor also handed over the application of authorized users to the Minister of Textiles.

Giriraj Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the creation of the Union Territory of Ladakh, following the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, which allowed Ladakh to establish its distinct identity and showcase its unique products, such as pashmina, sea buckthorn, and apricots, on both national and international platforms. He highlighted the significance of GI tagging for Ladakh's Pashmina, also known as "Soft Gold," which had been previously misrepresented by others.

This development, he said, would benefit the region's pashmina herders and promote economic growth.
The Minister emphasized the importance of increasing pashmina wool production in Ladakh to boost the income of pashmina goat herders, SHGs, and entrepreneurs, contributing to the region's GDP growth. He also suggested measures such as encouraging stall feeding for pashmina and merino sheep, involving women in these practices, and reducing the mortality rate of pashmina goat kids.

Giriraj Singh proposed several initiatives, including the establishment of pashmina breeding farms in Leh and Kargil, artificial insemination programs, and efforts to curb inbreeding among sheep. He recommended projects on selective breeding, farmer competitions with incentives, pashmina goat milk testing for nutrients, exposure visits for animal husbandry directors, and feed pellet production from stored fodder. He assured the Lieutenant Governor of the Ministry's full support of these initiatives.

In his address, Lieutenant Governor BD Mishra called the GI registration of Ladakh's Pashmina wool a historic achievement. He emphasized that the certification guarantees the authenticity and premium quality of pashmina, which had been previously compromised by counterfeit and inferior products. The LG outlined the efforts made by the UT Administration to promote Pashmina, including meetings with pashmina herders, distributing pashmina kid pens to reduce goat mortality, installing a pashmina dehairing plant in Leh, and establishing the Directorate of Sheep Husbandry in Ladakh.

The LG also highlighted the plantation of fodder at the solar power plant site in Pang to meet winter fodder needs and plans to brand mountain goat meat for better market prices. He sought the Ministry’s continued cooperation in advancing Ladakh's pashmina industry and attracting youth to traditional pashmina goat herding.

The event also featured PowerPoint presentations on the wool industry in India and abroad, a presentation by the Textiles Committee, and the screening of a short video on the pashmina sector.