Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur, on Sunday, asked the youth of the cold desert region to focus on primary sector activities of growing medicinal and aromatic plants, buckwheat, etc., as there are tremendous livelihood opportunities without causing any damage to the environment.

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Mathur was speaking at the inaugural session of the Indian Himalayan Youth Summit-V, which has been organised by the Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) and Sustainable Development Forum of Ladakh with support from the UT Administration and LAHDC Leh as a part of the Sustainable Mountain Development Summit (SMDS) XI, at Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra (SSK).

He dwelt on various initiatives taken by the UT Administration along with the Hill Councils of Leh and Kargil to provide employment to the youth and encourage and support aspiring entrepreneurs from Ladakh. He advised the youth participating in the summit to deliberate how a young person can become a productive asset for himself and society.

Mathur stated that the youth from Ladakh have better opportunities than youth in other parts of the country. He said that the rationalisation of wildlife boundaries has been initiated to benefit the people of Ladakh and make them prosperous.

Chairman, LAHDC Leh, Tashi Gyalson; member of Governing Council, IMI, Rigzin Spalbar, officers and 24 participants from 11 mountain states and UTs were present in the event.

Terming the Himalayan region as the most important ecologically as they determine the climate of the country and the world, Mathur stressed the need for youth taking part in the summit to deliberate and record the outcomes of the event so that it could be heard and implemented at both regional and national levels.

Mathur emphasised the need to focus on quality tourism and spreading the benefit of tourist activities in all parts of a region rather than allowing it to concentrate in a few places. He stated that tourism enables the consolidation of the cultural aspect of a region and emphasised the need for Himalayan states to respect, own and propagate their culture for the overall benefit of the society.

He emphasised the need to balance the environment, economy and socio-cultural aspects to achieve sustainable tourism. Later, Mathur launched e-vehicles and handed over keys to officials from three government offices.

Chairman, LAHDC, Leh, Tashi Gyalson, said that the summit is a platform for the youth of Ladakh to interact with youth from other Himalayan States and UTs to discuss common issues and learn from each other. He stated that youth can make a lot of difference in coming up with possible solutions and drafting policies for the benefit of the people of the Himalayan regions.

Namrata Neopaney informed about the journey of Indian Himalayan Youth Summit since its first edition held at Kohima in 2013. Earlier, Member of Governing Council, IMI, Rigzin Spalbar, welcomed the guests while Rigzin Lhachic, a member of Sustainable Development Forum of Ladakh, proposed the vote of thanks.