SRINAGAR: Kavinder Gupta, former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, was sworn in as the new Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh on Friday morning.
At a ceremony held at Raj Niwas, Leh, Gupta took the oath of office and secrecy, administered by Justice Arun Palli, Chief Justice of the Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.
Dressed in traditional Ladakhi attire, known as Goncha, Gupta was sworn in after Chief Secretary Pawan Kotwal read out his warrant of appointment.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Member of Parliament for Ladakh, Haneefa Jan; Chief Executive Councillors of Leh and Kargil Hill Councils, Tashi Namgayal and Dr Jaffer Akhoon, respectively; BJP J&K unit president Sat Pal Sharma; along with senior bureaucrats and police officials.
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, the LG said he would work collectively for the development of Ladakh. “I want to assure the people of Ladakh that we will rise above religion, caste, and party politics to work together for the region’s development. Much remains to be done for Ladakh. There is no doubt that the region has faced discrimination in the past. We aim to make Ladakh one of the leading tourist destinations in the world,” he said.
Gupta also expressed gratitude to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for appointing him as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh. (KNO)
