The Minister of State for Textiles (Independent Charge), Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar will launch the Pashmina Promotion Programme (P-3) and lay the foundation stone of Pashmina Dehairing Plant at Pashmina Dehairing Plant Complex, Skalzangling, Leh tomorrow.

Under P-3, major provision has been made for establishment of latest technology imported Pashmina Dehairing Plant at Leh with total grant of Rs.19.35 crore including other machineries like Scouring, Drying, and boiler along with construction of building for installation of these machineries at Leh. The existing Deharing Plant has obsolete Chinese dehairing machine and is not sufficient to de-hair 45 ton of Pashmina wool produced here and with present capacity it can only de-hair up to five ton pashmina, leaving 40 ton sold into the market as raw which renders loss of value addition of Pashmina. The capacity of the proposed new imported plant would be 10 kilogram pashmina per hour with approximate cost of Rs.11 crore.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his visit to Leh on 12th August,2014, announced Pashmina Promotion Programme (P-3) with additional financial assistance of Rs. 30 crore for improving quality and quantity of pashmina wool as well as living standard of poor nomads (wool growers) of Ladakh region.

Under this new Programme, financial assistance would be provided under different components like Creation of Common Pashmina Facilitation Centre for Wool testing, Disease Surveillance Centre, Geographic Information System (GIS) Lab, Shelter for Nomads, Portable Electric Units for Handloom Spinning/Weaving, Solarised Community Centres, Open Fodder enclosures, establishment of Pashmina Dehairing Plant, Distribution for Foundation Stock to farmers and construction of Shelter for Housing of Pashmina Stock.

The Ministry of Textiles is implementing Pashmina Wool Development Scheme with the help of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh from 10th Five Year Plan for development of this Sector in Ladakh region. In the 12th Plan, this programme has been expanded with enhanced financial assistance of Rs. 41.21 crore.

Ladakh region produces the finest Pashmina wool (specialty fiber) in the world, which has high demand globally. Ladakh region grow about 45 ton of Pashmina wool every year from the population of about 2.50 lakh Pashmina goats.