A webinar on providing better engineering, medical and technological assistance to Ladakh was held between UT administration and the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) on October 16.

Lieutenant Governor R.K Mathur appreciated DG CSIR for framing a proposal and putting a team together in a short span of time. He stated that with many folds increase in the budget being allocated to Ladakh after becoming a Union Territory, it is imperative to utilize these funds with decisions based on science.  

Mentioning the vast extent of the geographical area of Ladakh, L-G Mathur stressed framing a suitable land-use plan with a focus on commercial cultivation which will turn out beneficial for the people of Ladakh. He suggested planning of pilot projects for Pashmina growth and value addition, testing on local dry toilets with apt bioprocesses, cultivation of fodder using technologies suitable for Ladakh, exploring aromatic and medicinal plants used in Sowa Rigpa, and product development & post-harvest technologies for Sea buckthorn and Sanjeevani (Rhodiola rosea).

The participants of the webinar highlighted the scope of improvement and exploration in various fields including groundwater source finding, geothermal resources, agro & processing technologies, floriculture, earthquake hazard assessment, etc. in Ladakh

R K Mathur spoke about the role of CSIR in strengthening the COVID19 testing in Ladakh and expressed gratitude for their proposal for collaborating with the UT administration in providing the latest equipment and trained manpower to Ladakh.

Commissioner/ Secretary Rigzin Sampheal was assigned as the nodal of the UT administration for the project. LG Mathur directed him to work out details of the action plan in collaboration with CSIR.

The meeting was attended by Director General CSIR & Secretary DSIR, Dr. Shekhar C. Mande; Director IIIM-Jammu Dr. D.S. Reddy; Director IHBT- Palampur, Dr. Sanjay Kumar; Director CMERI- Durgapur, Dr. Harish Hirani; Director NBRI- Lucknow, Dr. S.K.Barik; Director NGRI-Hyderabad, Dr. Virendra M. Tiwari; Director CLRI-Chennai, Head of IPU & TMDCSIR- New Delhi, Dr. Vibha Malhotra Sawhney, and other officials from the Department of Horticulture and NIRS Ladakh.