Ex-Leh DC removed as Looms of Ladakh chief
A former Deputy Commissioner of Leh, Prasanna Ramaswamy, has been removed as the Chairman of the Looms of Ladakh Women Cooperative Ltd. governing body.
The current Deputy Commissioner, Leh, will now take charge as Chairman, in accordance with the Articles of Association of the Cooperative.
The Looms of Ladakh Women Cooperative, registered in 2017, has faced serious charges of financial misconduct and conflict of interest.
Accordingly, the matter was taken up by the UT Administration with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for examination and for appropriate action in view of the apparent conflict-of-interest issues involving the officer.
Prasanna Ramaswamy, a 2010-batch IAS officer, served as the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS) and Deputy Commissioner, Leh, during 2015-2017. The registration documents record Ramaswamy and his spouse, Abhilasha Bahuguna, as co-founder members of the Society.
According to records examined by the UT Administration, the Looms of Ladakh Women Cooperative has also received significant financial support for activities relating to Pashmina and wool development.
According to its audited financial statements, the Cooperative reported receiving Rs 50.76 lakh in grants, donations and contributions during FY 2022-23, Rs 71.34 lakh during FY 2023-24, and Rs 44.99 lakh during FY 2024-25. Taken together, these reported receipts amount to approximately Rs 1.67 crore over the three financial years. Separately, documentary records cited by NABARD establish that Rs 107.50 lakh (Rs 1.075 crore) was sanctioned as grant assistance to the Cooperative under a project for “Strengthening and Broad-basing Pashmina and Wool Value Chain in Leh.”
The project included strengthening production and value-chain activities and envisaged the establishment of a 40,000 sq. ft. Work Studio and Training Centre at Chushul, Leh.
With the current Deputy Commissioner, Leh, now taking charge as Chairman, the Cooperative’s books of accounts and membership records can be examined in greater detail. The preliminary examination has proposed verification of whether any dividend or other financial benefit was claimed by the former officer or his spouse, along with verification of the list of members to establish the bona fides of the membership.
Notably, IAS Officer Prasanna Ramaswamy had associated himself with the Cooperative without the prior approval of the competent authority, as required under the applicable provisions of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968. The available records do not contain the requisite approval or sanction, if any, for the officer’s association with a society involved in seeking grants, financial assistance and contributions. The preliminary examination of records further indicated that, while serving as Registrar of Cooperative Societies, the officer was among those associated with the society’s registration and that his wife was also listed as a co-founder member.
At the same time, the District Collector, Leh, was designated as Chairman, and the officer himself held that position.
The Administration has accordingly viewed the circumstances as raising a prima facie conflict-of-interest concern, particularly since the Cooperative subsequently received financial assistance from Government and non-Governmental institutions. The records also flag an issue concerning the Cooperative’s application for Geographical Indication (GI) registration for Ladakh Pashmina Textiles. The preliminary examination noted that the original application indicated approval from the Director, Industries, whereas the records examined did not establish that such approval had actually been obtained. The matter has accordingly been brought to the attention of higher authorities for appropriate examination.
