Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, July 4: Lt Governor R K Mathur today e-launched Mission Organic Development Initiative (MODI) of Ladakh and Ladakh Greenhouse Project at Raj Niwas (Ladakh) with the foresighted ambition of steering Ladakh on a sustainable path.
As initiated by LAHDC Leh in 2019, project MODI is a special development project budgeted at Rs 500 crore to introduce organic farming into the mainstream agricultural production system and is proposed to be implemented in three phases in different blocks of Leh and Kargil districts.
In the first phase, 66 villages of Leh and Kargil districts will be converted into organic villages by the end of the financial year 2020, while 85 villages will achieve certification by 2023. The final phase of MODI will include conversion of 90 villages as organic by 2025.
Speaking on the occasion, Mathur said, “By converting Ladakh into an organic state, we will be able to achieve the Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a Carbon Neutral Ladakh.” He added that establishing a proper supply chain and infrastructure to process and market the product is of utmost importance.
Meanwhile, the LG also launched the Ladakh Greenhouse Project targeting at improving vegetable availability in Ladakh through deep winter greenhouse farming. A result of six years of research and development, the greenhouse using polycarbonate as the covering material, has been developed by Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR).
The LG suggested construction of greenhouses in village clusters so as to support value chain and derive commercial advantage as greenhouses can be cultivated round the year. The project has been allotted a budget of Rs 76.44 crore and is targeting the installation of 1676 greenhouses over a span of two years in Leh and Kargil districts. LAHDC Leh and Kargil will select beneficiaries for implementation for both the projects.
Earlier, the LG was called on by CEC Leh, Gyal P Wangyal and CEC Kargil Feroz Ahmed Khan. They discussed roles and functioning of the councils of Leh and Kargil with the LG. Mathur, on the occasion, laid emphasis on enhancing the abilities of the two Councils to fully utilize their budget and deliver greater benefits to the people of Ladakh.
Other dignitaries present on the e-inauguration were MP Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Advisor to LG Umang Narula, Commissioner Secretary Rigzin Samphel, Divisional Commissioner Saugat Biswas, Director DIHAR O P Chaurasia, Director Agriculture Tanveer Singh, Chief Horticulture Officer Tsewang Phuntsog, Chief Agriculture Officer Tashi Tsetan and Senior Scientist (DIHAR) Tsering Stobdan.
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