Hardass, known as ‘Apricot Valley’ in Kargil, is located along the Line Of
Control (LOC) at a distance of seven kilometres from the District headquarters.
It has 206 households and a population of 1800 persons covering an area
of 1.5 square kilometres. The economy of the village mostly depends on
the production and sale of apricots. Land is limited and therefore other
agricultural activities cannot be engaged in. The youth are largely unemployed
and most are first generation literates. government intervention in terms of
development has not been significant. The education of children depends on
a government Middle School and on schools run by the Army through its
Sadbhavna Project. The village comprises Muslim families and religious heads
play an influential role.The women, until recently, had no say in running the daily affairs of the village.
Their role was limited to helping the men in the fields, collecting wood for
fuel and bringing up children. Now there is a perceptible change in the roles
played by the women of Hardass.Hardass is one of the least developed villages of Kargil in terms of education,
health, and other facilities. The most important reason for this is that its men
are politically divided and are unable to collect on a common platform. This
brought the women of the village to the forefront. They came together to
participate in major decision-making processes. Scarcity of land and of water
for agricultural purposes has been the major problem of this village and the
men have been unable to address either of these issues. The women have
been able to tackle the most important issue, that of water, through different
initiatives. They organized themselves into a group and began having meetings
to plan strategies to find a solution. They also had consultations with the
Lamberdar (Village Head) and the ex-president.First, they approached the Chief Executive Councillor, of the Ladakh Hill
Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil. The Council promised to provide
electricity to run water-lifting machines. They also approached the electricity
Department in this regard. Unfortunately, nothing much happened. They
waited for a few more days and eventually decided to hold a protest rally.Village: Hardass
Block: Kargil
District: Kargil
Ladakh