Officers from the Ministry of Rural Development Department met Lieutenant Governor, R K Mathur on September 21 and reviewed various centrally sponsored schemes of the Rural Department.

Additional Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Alka Upadhyaya briefed the Lt. Governor about the various possibilities of making optimum utilization of the schemes such as National Rural Livelihood Mission, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, MG NREGA, etc. She complimented the Ladakh Administration for their achievements in Prime Minister Awas Yojna, PMAY (G), and also for the work done in NRLM in the four blocks where the scheme is being undertaken.

She assured the Ladakh Administration of support for making the NRLM a successful scheme in Ladakh which will generate sustainable self-employment opportunities in the rural areas, particularly for the rural women.

Joint Secretary, Nita Kejriwal briefed LG Mathur of the support being provided for the formation of the National Rural Livelihood Mission of Ladakh and the multiple ways in which the ministry will assist the mission in capacity building of the self-help groups as well as the officials of the Department.

Lt. Governor RK Mathur thanked the high-level team of the Ministry for coming to Ladakh to understand the issues in the implementation of the NRLM and other schemes at the ground level.
 
He sought the support of the Ministry for handholding and capacity building by specialized organizations for the SHGs in Ladakh. He urged that possibilities for the development of products that have a potential for commercial consumption within Ladakh may be explored. He also suggested that products related to Apricot, Sea buckthorn, Pashmina, etc. may be emphasized.

Mathur desired that focused efforts may be made for the development and marketing of sanitary and hygiene products for the women by the self-help groups, which in addition to improving the hygiene conditions will also generate employment.