Leh, 03 June, 2025: The Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Ladakh, Haji Mohd Hanifa Jan called on Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd), at Raj Niwas, to raise several issues concerning Ladakh. Principal Secretary, Sanjeev Khirwar, IAS, and Secretary Education, Ms. Bhanu Prabha, IAS, were present during the meeting.

During the meeting, MP Ladakh sought the HLG’s intervention in securing a special package from the central government to compensate apricot farmers for losses suffered during the recent unseasonal snowfall. In response, HLG assured that he would take up the issue with the concerned ministry and also advised MP Ladakh to follow up on the matter.

Additionally, Hon’ble MP raised various concerns, including the establishment of an Agriculture and Horticulture Research Center in Kargil; the need for AYUSH Medical Officer posts; the need to release pending payments for higher secondary school buildings constructed as per CBSE norms and the need for Arabic teachers’ post in Kargil under Samagra Shiksha, for which funding from the Union Ministry is required.

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A request was also made regarding the inclusion of Eid-e-Ghadeer and Chehlum (Youm-e-Arbaeen) in the list of local holidays of UT Ladakh for Leh district, also on the lines of Kargil district, keeping the sentiments of the Shia community of Leh district in mind.

The HLG stated that the General Administration Department (GAD), which determines the public holiday list per central guidelines, would examine the matter and take an appropriate decision.

MP Ladakh further raised concerns over the admission of Ladakhi students to SKUAST Kashmir, highlighting that many eligible students were unable to secure admission under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) reservation. He sought intervention from HLG to address this issue so that seats for Ladakhi students could be reserved for at least a few more years. In response, HLG advised MP Ladakh to submit a formal draft, which would be examined and taken up with the concerned department in Jammu and Kashmir.

Furthermore, Hon’ble MP requested early recruitment of faculty in Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) and urged swift completion of the takeover of SKUAST units in Ladakh by the University of Ladakh. He also addressed the wage issues of cooks in the school education department. The HLG assured that the committee formed to examine the matter of left-out daily-rated wagers would submit its report soon.