IAS officer Ramaswamy removed as chairman of Looms of Ladakh cooperative

Nearly two months after his transfer from Jammu and Kashmir to Lakshadweep, IAS officer Prasanna Ramaswamy has been removed as chairman of the governing body of the Looms of Ladakh Women Cooperative Ltd amid an administrative examination of alleged irregularities and conflict-of-interest concerns, officials said on Tuesday.

Leh Deputy Commissioner Romil Singh Donk will now take charge as chairman in accordance with the cooperative's Articles of Association, which provide for the deputy commissioner to serve as its ex-officio chairman, they said.

The development comes amid a controversy over the cooperative's registration and functioning. The Ladakh Administration has referred the matter to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for examination and appropriate action.

Ramaswamy, a 2010-batch IAS officer, was Registrar of Cooperative Societies as well as deputy commissioner of Leh between 2015 and 2017, when the cooperative was registered in 2017.

According to officials, registration documents list Ramaswamy and his wife, Abhilasha Bahuguna, as co-founder members of the society.

The administration has raised questions over the officer's association with the cooperative, saying departmental records do not show prior approval from the competent authority for such an association.

Since the Articles of Association designated the Leh deputy commissioner as the cooperative's ex-officio chairman, Ramaswamy also became its chairman while serving as DC.

The cooperative has rejected the allegations, saying its decade-long work to strengthen Ladakh's Pashmina sector has been conducted in accordance with law and under statutory oversight.

It said the organisation was established as a democratically governed, women-owned producer institution for Pashmina herders and artisans and has since functioned independently under elected management.

On Ramaswamy's association with the cooperative, it said he only provided voluntary guidance during its establishment, never held an elected position and completely dissociated himself from its affairs after registration.

The cooperative also said no adverse or conclusive finding had been recorded against it over the issues raised by the administration.

Ramaswamy, who had been serving as Commissioner Secretary of the Tribal Affairs Department in the J-K government since June 2024, was transferred to Lakshadweep by the MHA on August 12.

Officials said records examined by the Ladakh Administration showed that the cooperative had received significant financial support for Pashmina and wool development.

Its audited financial statements show grants, donations and contributions of Rs 50.76 lakh in 2022-23, Rs 71.34 lakh in 2023-24 and Rs 44.99 lakh in 2024-25, totalling about Rs 1.67 crore over the three years.

Separately, documentary records cited by NABARD show that Rs 107.50 lakh was sanctioned as grant assistance under a project to strengthen and broaden the Pashmina and wool value chain in Leh.

The project envisaged strengthening production and value-chain activities and establishing a 40,000 sq ft Work Studio and Training Centre at Chushul, Leh, officials said.

With the Leh deputy commissioner now taking charge as chairman, the cooperative's books of accounts and membership records can be examined in greater detail, they said.

The preliminary examination has proposed verification of whether the former officer or his spouse claimed any dividend or other financial benefit and verification of the membership list to establish the bona fides of the members.

Officials said available records did not contain the requisite approval or sanction, if any, for Ramaswamy's association with a society that sought grants, financial assistance and contributions.

The examination has also indicated that Ramaswamy, while serving as Registrar of Cooperative Societies, was among those associated with the registration of the society and that his wife was listed as a co-founder member.

The administration has viewed these circumstances as raising a prima facie conflict-of-interest concern, particularly because the cooperative later received financial assistance from government and non-governmental institutions.

The records have also flagged 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), while the records examined did not establish that such approval had been obtained. The matter has been referred to higher authorities for examination.

The cooperative, in an earlier statement, said its application for "Ladakh Pashmina" in Classes 24 and 25 was initiated through the Ministry of Textiles with support from the Handloom Export Promotion Council.

It said it had furnished the required affidavit and technical documents to the GI Registry and that both the Industries Department, UT Ladakh, and the cooperative were subsequently recorded as registered proprietors/applicants.

The cooperative said it never claimed that prior departmental approval had been obtained and that it had submitted a detailed response to the procedural issues raised by the Industries Department. It maintained that the matter remained under consideration and that no adverse or conclusive finding had been recorded against it.