About a month ago, a delegation of the residents close to LAC with China comprising twenty villages had called on the Home Minister in New Delhi to place before him the problems of the families living close to the border. They had submitted a list of demands to improve the condition of the border families.
Prior to that meeting, the authorities of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council had been approaching the authorities in Srinagar to divert their attention to urgent needs and development of the border villages for strategic reasons. But their repeated requests were never seriously responded. The funds allocated to the LAHDC were so meager that it could not do much for the far flung area. The result was that for last six decades and more, this area has remained neglected almost in all respects. In terms of road connectivity, transport, electricity, education, medical health and other necessities this area remained backward. Their elected representatives have not been effective in presenting their case to proper quarter and thus the people were left to suffer backwardness and deprivation.
But it appears that their days of travail will soon come to an end. The most recent visit of the delegation from this area of Ladakh to the Home Ministry in New Delhi is likely to bear fruit. Relief and Rehabilitation Division of the Home Ministry had been working on the subject and has come to some conclusion. It is of the opinion that the demand of the people living in the Changthang region of Leh close to border with China is genuine because nothing has been done over the decades to ameliorate their lot. While across the LAC, China has brought road connection to the villages on its side besides other facilities, we have not done anything for the people on our side. If this criminal neglect continues, these families will be compelled to leave their home and hearth and migrate to Leh in search of life with some facilities. If that happens, it would mean alienation of the LAC on our part. That would be strategically suicidal because non-existence of civilian population on the border means a free for the Chinese soldiers to make forays into our side of the line at their will. This has also been taken into account while a decision was under discussion of the authorities.
Now, the Relief and Rehabilitation Division of the Home Ministry have been working on the package for families that have already been identified. A sum of Rs.650 crore has been earmarked under Border Area Development Package of the Union Ministry. It has convinced itself of the logic of sanctioning special package. The proposal will now go to the Union Finance Ministry for final approval of funds and hopefully its green signal will not take a long time. The plan with the Home Ministry is o obtain the nod from Finance Ministry as early as possible so that the proposal is placed before the parliament’s impending budget session.
Home Ministry has worked out all modalities of the package and laid down clear instructions of how the modalities according to which package is to be introduced. In the first place we would like to felicitate the people of the far flung area of Changthang close to the LAC that their struggle has borne fruit. They have suffered neglect over long decades with patience and fortitude. Hopefully, they will see the light of the day. It is pertinent to mention here that apart from strategic importance of forward area of Changthang to our security of the border for which we are spending huge amounts justice was denied to the area where inhabitants are raring the special goats from whose wool the world famous pashmina wool is obtained. Pashmina industry has a long history in Kashmir. Thousands of families subsist on the pashmina industry. Pashmina shawls have attained worldwide renown for softness, finesse and warmth. But it is a pity that even after the popular Government was installed in 1947, no Government in the State ever paid any attention towards the welfare of the poor shepherds who tended the goats over rocks and mountains. No government ever cared to provide veterinary support to them in case their quadrupeds were afflicted with some disease. The present package of the Home Ministry is the first ever elaborate and well defined package that will, among other areas, also meet the needs of these families tending the special goats. Unique aspect of this special developmental package would be that monthly honorarium ranging between Rs 7000 to Rs 10,000 per month would be given to each family residing in these 20 villages. But this will be deposited in their bank accounts opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jandhan Yojna.
The good thing is that implementation of this package will be directly monitored by the Relief and Rehabilitation Division of the Home Ministry. This should bring additional cheer to the people concerned. We are happy that a path breaking initiative has been taken by the Home Ministry and this will reassure the entire Ladakh population that the Government in New Delhi is concerned about their welfare and prosperity.
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