By: Husna Rizwan

The fine woollen fabric popularly known as Cashmere is deeply interwoven with the history of Ladakh. Although it was Kashmir that brought the West’s attention to Pashmina (the Persian word for “Pashm” meaning finest wool fibre), the raw material came from goats that graze in high pastures of Changthang region spread across East & Southeast Ladakh & Western Tibet.
In this high-altitude region, Changpas are an agro-pastoralist community which traditionally herd livestock, including the famous Pashmina goat. Project Laksal, envisioned by G Prasanna Ramaswamy, the deputy commissioner (DC) of Leh from Sept, 2015 to Sept, 2017 & his wife Abhilasha Bahuguna, works towards training unemployed women artisans from Ladakh.
Alongside a dedicated unit of locals, their efforts at project strategy, capacity building & developing partnerships gave birth to Looms of Ladakh women’s cooperative, which now sells these products for a living.
Most of 450 quintals of untreated Pashmina that is produced every year in Leh is sold to traders in Kashmir & other parts of the world, where they are converted into finished articles like shawls. With most of the value in Pashmina locked higher up in the supply chain, the region has not enjoyed any real economic benefits. Project Laskar & establishment of Looms of Ladakh is 1^st ever such local effort towards converting available raw materials into finished products.

One goat produces 250 gm of raw material per year. The earnings of a nomad after rearing goat throughout the year is negligible. A shawl made from 75 gm to 100 gm can fetch more than Rs 15,000 in the market. This year, these women were able to convert 8 quintals of raw material into finished products. By next year they will be able to add value to 20 quintals of Pashmina.
The planning behind Project Laksal began in Jul, 2016 & by the following month, it had already entered its pilot testing stage in Stok & Kharnakling village, near Leh. The 1^st ever phase of this project also saw these training exercises conducted in villages of Chuchot & Phyang near Leh area.
Throughout the winter of 2016/2017, the project had entered its 2^nd phase & these training exercises were extended to the villages of Chushul, Merak, Parma & Sato which are on Chinese border. Aided by a dedicated unit of locals, Government officials & design mentors Sonal Chanana & Stanzin Palmo, these women underwent extensive training. All 8 villages with 150 women working in them have now become production units for Looms of Ladakh.

Looms of Ladakh has found success in showcasing & selling their unique wool fibre. The cooperative is working towards entering the e-commerce sphere, but logistics remains an issue with the region hampered by inefficient shipping services.
Training was more focused on product innovation & skill development. Since establishment of Looms of Ladakh, the women receive 37.5% from each product sold. Each product is barcoded to identify sale of different producer groups & earnings are distributed accordingly. 41% is kept with cooperative to purchase raw material for next production season & remaining sum is utilised for running the organisation, paying utility bills, marketing material, accountant remuneration & skill development needs, amongst other expenses.A percentage is also kept aside as a welfare fund, which member artisans can only use for health expenses & the educational needs of their children.
The success of this entire initiative goes to convergence of resources & expertise from varied quarters. Seed capital for Project Laksal came from District Administration in Leh. The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) in Leh was also supportive & delivered a revolving fund of Rs 15 lakhs to cooperative in May, 2017 at launch of its flagship store.
Funds amounting to Rs 3 lakhs have also come from CSR arm of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation, besides their employees who delivered an additional Rs 1.5 lakh from their salaries. Office bearers of this cooperative, elected amongst working women in this endeavour, were also trained in driving, considering the need to maintain contact between distant producer groups & source of these raw materials. Individual experts in varied fields of design & rural development, marketing have also come forward to build the organization. Local board members of this cooperative including Tatpar Joldan, Jigmet Namgyal, Phuntsog Toldhan, Jigmet Angmo, office of Sheep Husbandry Department to name a few, have passionately supported the endeavor.
There is a long way to go, but if this initiative succeeds & complete ownership finally lands at the doorstep of these enterprising Ladakhi women, it may yet prove to be most significant landmark in the region’s return to economic. 

Nasheman News : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said the first “Shahi Snan” (royal bathing) on the first day of Kumbh at Prayagraj drew a record crowd of 2.25 devotees.

In a message, he extended his gratitude to saints, religious leaders and devotees for successful passage of the opening day of Kumbh on the festival of Makar Sankranti.

He said that this event of faith and devotion concluded successfully due to the support from all. Yogi also expressed his gratitude to various “Akhadas”, saints and seers and pilgrims for their support and also praised efforts of the officials of the Mela administration, security personnel, departments, organisations and institutions involved in the Kumbh.

Adityanath expressed hope that all departments, institutions and organisations will work with the same dedication and loyalty for the remaining part of the religious congregation, touted as biggest such gathering on the earth.

Hampi, which was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, is the only Indian destination to feature in the list.

The tourist town of Hampi in Karnataka’s arid Ballari district and home to the erstwhile Vijayanagar empire, finds itself in second place in the New York Times’ list of ‘52 Places to Go in 2019’. Hampi is the only Indian destination, which has managed to secure a place in the list.

The top position is held by the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, which was ravaged by Hurricane Maria in late 2017.

The ruins and remains of the glorious 14th century kingdom have already been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 and in February 2018, the Union government chose it to be one of the 10 tourist destinations across India to be developed as an ‘Iconic Tourism Site’.

The place is best known for several Hindu temples that have been constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture. However, Hampi’s most famous icon is the stone chariot in the Vittala Temple. Over six lakh tourists including foreigners, flock to Hampi annually.

Located in Hosapete taluk of Ballari district, there are 57 major monuments in Hampi, most of which come under the core zone of Hampi, including four villages spread across 41.8 sq. km.

The UNESCO describes, “Hampi’s spectacular setting is dominated by river Tungabhadra, craggy hill ranges and open plains, with widespread physical remains. The sophistication of the varied urban, royal and sacred systems is evident from the more than 1600 surviving remains that include forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines, pillared halls, Mandapas, memorial structures, gateways, defence check posts, stables, water structures, etc.”

Recently, the tourist town had, however, made news for the wrong reasons. The Karnataka government in late November had announced that the annual Hampi Utsav would be cancelled as an austerity measure in light of three consecutive drought years. The festivities include cultural events, music shows, puppet shows, dance performances by artists from the state and elsewhere, apart from other recreational activities.

The cancellation triggered protests from locals and from the opposition BJP, forcing the newly elected Congress MP from the district— VS Ugrappa, to announce that all MLAs, MPs of the area will speak to the chief minister to hold the festival. However, despite this, the Hampi Utsav was finally not held.

Nasheman News : The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal to re-promulgate the ordinance making instant triple talaq a criminal offence, sources said.

The decision to re-promulgate the ordinance was taken a day after the conclusion of winter session of Parliament during which the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, or triple talaq bill, could not be passed.

The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha but got stuck in in the Rajya Sabha, where the government lacks majority, since the opposition parties expressed reservations to some provisions of the bill.

The ordinance makes all declarations of instant triple talaq void and illegal and provides for up to three years’ imprisonment for invoking instant divorce by uttering talaq thrice in a single sitting.

The government is keen to get the bill passed and is expected to make another attempt for its passage during the short budget session of Parliament likely to begin on January 31.

The sources said that the Cabinet also gave its clearance to re-promulgate an ordinance to allow a committee to run the Medical Council of India.

The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2018 to replace the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 was passed in the Lok Sabha but was not taken up in the Rajya Sabha.

The bill provides for constitution of a Board of Governors that will exercise the powers of the Medical Council of India (MCI)