SRINAGAR: The Centre has not conducted any study to assess how climate change, shrinking grazing pastures, changing snowfall patterns and declining livestock productivity have affected the livelihood and traditional nomadic lifestyle of the Changpa tribal community in Ladakh, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Responding to an unstarred question by Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey said that while no such assessment has been carried out, Changpa families, being members of a Scheduled Tribe, are covered under various welfare and livelihood schemes implemented by the Centre and other ministries. These include the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA), Eklavya Model Residential Schools, scholarship schemes for Scheduled Tribe students and the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission.
The government said that under DAJGUA, targeted interventions have been launched for remote tribal habitations, including mobile medical units, mobile network connectivity, residential hostels and pucca housing under PM-AWAS (Gramin). It added that livelihood support for Pashmina wool production, marketing linkages and value addition is being provided through TRIFED.
On financial assistance, the ministry said TRIFED has released Rs 15 lakh under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission for establishing a Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK) at Durbuk. It also provided details of funds sanctioned for Eklavya Model Residential Schools in Ladakh over the past five years, including Rs 10 lakh in 2021-22, Rs 450 lakh in 2022-23, Rs 800 lakh in 2023-24, Rs 17.41 lakh in 2024-25 and Rs 400 lakh in 2025-26.
The ministry said several measures are being taken to strengthen the long-term socio-economic resilience of the Changpa community and preserve its traditional culture. These include expanding basic infrastructure and services in Changthang under PM-JANMAN and DAJGUA, promoting Pashmina-based livelihoods through TRIFED, and documenting the community’s culture, language and traditional knowledge through tribal research institutes.
According to the reply, TRIFED procured Pashmina products worth over Rs 1.88 crore from Ladakh-based artisans during the past five years. Since the raw Pashmina is sourced from the Changpa community, these procurements have indirectly supported the livelihood of Changpa pastoralists. The ministry also said an empanelment camp is proposed in the Changthang region in August 2026 to identify and enrol eligible Changpa artisans for direct participation in marketing and procurement programmes.
