Leh/Jammu,: Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta has emphasized the need to promote Geographical Indication (GI) tagged products from Ladakh to create livelihood opportunities for local youth and uplift communities in remote areas.
Speaking at the inauguration of the week-long National Handloom Festival at Leh’s main market, Gupta praised Ladakhi artisans and entrepreneurs for producing high-quality handloom items and urged them to further leverage the region’s rich cultural heritage and traditions for economic growth.
“Promoting local products, especially those with GI tags, will enable youth to turn them into sustainable sources of livelihood, while also benefiting people in far-flung areas,” he said.
The festival showcases a range of handloom products from artisans, self-help groups (SHGs), and entrepreneurs across Ladakh. Notable GI-tagged products from the region include apricot (Raktsey Karpo), pashmina, Ladakhi wood carvings, and sea buckthorn.
Gupta applauded the stalls displaying high-quality handmade goods and noted that Ladakhi artisans are ahead of many others in their craftsmanship. He highlighted the potential to scale further by blending traditional knowledge with modern tools and techniques.
He also commended efforts to preserve Ladakh’s centuries-old traditions through contemporary means and reaffirmed the joint commitment of the Ladakh administration and the central government towards the region’s holistic development.
Underscoring the importance of youth empowerment, Gupta said GI-tagged products could become a significant source of employment. He added that the administration will support artisans by providing tools and machinery at subsidised rates.
“With the aid of modern equipment, Ladakhi youth can champion the ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative by producing goods from materials like pashmina and emerge as job creators rather than job seekers,” he concluded.
