Ladakh Disburses Rs 1.10 Crore Incentive to Pashmina Herders at Changthang Nomadic Festival

LEH, August 09, 2026 — Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena attended the Changthang Nomadic Festival 2026 at Tso Moriri in Ladakh, an event that drew over 10,000 visitors to the region.

During the celebration, the administration took a major step toward supporting the local pastoral community by directly disbursing Rs 1.10 crore in incentives to more than 1,200 nomadic Pashmina herders. This financial assistance stems from a decision made on July 5 to provide a 25 percent production-based incentive aimed at strengthening traditional livestock farming and boosting rural livelihoods.

The financial incentive scheme has already yielded strong results, driving raw Pashmina collection up to 19 metric tonnes this year compared to 16 metric tonnes collected in 2025.

To further support local herders and ensure timely payments for their produce, the administration provided a revolving fund of Rs 8 crore to the All Changthang Pashmina Growers Marketing Cooperative Society. Addressing the growers, the Lieutenant Governor urged them to adopt scientific breeding and management techniques to increase the average raw Pashmina yield from 200 grams to 350 grams per goat, while setting a target to double the goat population from two lakh to four lakh over the next three years.

Emphasizing that Ladakhi Pashmina represents a timeless heritage, regional leadership reaffirmed its commitment to aligning with central economic initiatives to maximize financial returns for the nomadic communities preserving this traditional craft.