Focus must shift from opportunities to enterprise creation, says Bhanu Prabha

Ladakh starts Entrepreneurship Trainer development Program

LEH: Administrative Secretary for Higher Education, Technical Education and Skill Development, School Education, Cooperatives and Disaster Management, Bhanu Prabha (IAS), on Monday underscored the need to build a strong network of entrepreneurship mentors across Ladakh, asserting that the region’s economic future would depend not only on the availability of opportunities but also on the capacity to identify, nurture and guide aspiring entrepreneurs.

Addressing the inaugural session of a three-day Training of Trainers (ToT) Programme on Entrepreneurship at the LAHDC Conference Room in Leh, Bhanu Prabha said initiatives such as Enterprising Ladakh were laying the foundation for a self-sustaining entrepreneurial ecosystem by equipping local stakeholders with the skills required to mentor the next generation of enterprise creators.

The programme has brought together 25 participants, including entrepreneurs, educators, Self-Help Group members and development professionals, who will be trained to serve as entrepreneurship facilitators and mentors in their respective communities. The initiative is being conducted under the Enterprising Ladakh Project, supported by the Department of Higher Education, UT Ladakh, and implemented by the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad.

Highlighting the impact of entrepreneurship-led interventions, Bhanu Prabha cited the example of local entrepreneur Tsering Disket, founder of Laa Textile, who identified a longstanding gap in the local market and began manufacturing Khatak within Ladakh. Despite the ceremonial scarf being an integral part of Ladakhi social and cultural life, it had traditionally been sourced from outside the region.

She noted that with support from Enterprising Ladakh, the enterprise had grown to the extent that government offices across Ladakh now procure locally manufactured Khatak, demonstrating how innovation rooted in local needs can create sustainable economic opportunities.

Encouraging participants to adopt a similar approach, the Administrative Secretary urged them to explore untapped opportunities within their own communities and assured them of continued support through entrepreneurship-focused government schemes and institutional mechanisms.

The programme seeks to address a persistent challenge in Ladakh’s entrepreneurial landscape — the shortage of trained individuals capable of identifying business opportunities, mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs and providing long-term guidance during the enterprise development process.

Earlier, Dr. Diwakar Singh, Assistant Professor and In-charge of the Enterprising Ladakh Leh office, said Ladakh’s challenge was not a lack of opportunities but the absence of a sufficiently large pool of trained entrepreneurship mentors who could help transform ideas into viable businesses.

He observed that while the region possesses immense potential across sectors, sustainable entrepreneurial growth requires individuals who can accompany emerging entrepreneurs through every stage of their journey, from opportunity identification to enterprise establishment.

Guest of Honour Tsewang Dorjey, Assistant General Manager, NABARD Leh, described entrepreneurship development as an important pillar for strengthening rural livelihoods and diversifying the region’s economy. He highlighted various NABARD interventions aimed at supporting micro and rural enterprises and reiterated the institution’s commitment to promoting entrepreneurship in sectors such as agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts and tourism.

Over the next three days, participants will undergo intensive training in opportunity identification, branding and marketing, design thinking, innovation, mentoring practices and government support frameworks. The programme will culminate in group presentations focused on entrepreneurial opportunities, challenges and an action agenda for Ladakh.

Among the resource persons is Dr. Nirupama of BML Munjal University, who will lead an immersive design-thinking exercise examining themes including winter entrepreneurship, waste management, tourism diversification, agricultural value addition and women-led enterprises. Prof. Zahoor Ahmed Paray, Assistant Professor and In-charge of the Enterprising Ladakh Kargil office, also shared perspectives on district-specific business opportunities and emerging entrepreneurial trends across Ladakh.