Commissioner/Secretary Dr. Lalthinkhuma Franklin and Chief Electoral Officer UT Ladakh Yatindra M. Maralkar attend the Concluding Festival of Apricot Blossom at Saspol Village

Leh, April, 18,  2024: Commissioner/Secretary, Planning Development & Monitoring, Agriculture & Horticulture, Animal/Sheep Husbandry & Fisheries, Dr. Lalthinkhuma Franklin Franklin and Chief Electoral Officer, UT Ladakh, Yatindra M. Maralkar attended the concluding festival of apricot blossom at Saspol Village.

The festival, organized by the Tourism Department in collaboration with the villagers of Saspol, was filled with different cultural performances and dances by cultural troupe and the talented students of the Higher Secondary School, Saspol. Nambardar, Saspol, Tsewang Norboo in his welcome speech thanked the tourism department for organizing the concluding festival of apricot blossom at Saspol and welcomed the dignitaries to the festival with traditional scarfs (Khataks). Esteemed officers and officials of the tourism and Horticulture departments also attended the festival with great enthusiasm.

Adding to the festivity, the SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) team from Leh, headed by SVEEP State Nodal Officer Dr. Tsewang Morup conducted an engaging SVEEP awareness campaign and distributed SVEEP t-shirts and keychains to dignitaries and participants.They highlighted the importance of voting in a democracy and urged everyone to exercise their right to vote on 20th May 2024. Furthermore, State SVEEP Icon Phunchok Ladakhi lightened the atmosphere with melodious songs on voter awareness and appealed participants to cast their vote as a democratic duty on the voting day.

Chief Electoral Officer, UT Ladakh, Yatindra M. Maralkar emphasized the significance of voting, underlining the Election Commission of India’s efforts to simplify the electoral process. He mentioned user-friendly apps like Saksham ECI, designed to assist elderly and disabled voters, the cVigil App for reporting model code of conduct violations, and the KYC App for accessing information on candidates’ criminal records. He encouraged the public to explore these resources on the ECI website.

The festival concluded with a heartfelt vote of thanks from the Assistant Director of Tourism. As the event drew to a close, attendees were urged to participate actively in the upcoming elections and cast their votes on 20th May, ensuring a vibrant and robust democratic process.