If the Prime Minister “cares” for punning acronyms, so does the Ladakh administration.

Months after Narendra Modi gifted the country the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund, the Union Territory he visited last Friday has repaid the debt in kind.

Ladakh has launched a Rs 500-crore organic farming project named Mission Organic Development Initiative — which lends itself to the acronym “Modi”.

Lieutenant governor R.K. Mathur launched the project on July 4, a day after the Prime Minister’s surprise Ladakh visit during which he met Indian soldiers.

Sources in the Ladakh administration said the project’s “unique” acronym was decided at “a long meeting” last month with Union home ministry officials.

“Our Prime Minister’s popularity is unparalleled, so is his love of acronyms. We have seen how he continues to dish out acronyms while naming the government’s new schemes and projects and making them so popular,” a Ladakh official told The Telegraph over the phone.

He said several names for the project had been discussed at the meeting with home ministry officials.

“But we wanted a catchy name or acronym. During the long meeting, one official suggested we think about an acronym keeping in mind the name ‘Modi’. Everyone readily agreed,” he said.

“We are sure this acronym will create a buzz and help us popularise the project.”

The official said a local BJP politician who had attended the meeting said the acronym would also ensure a steady flow of funds from the Centre.

Many of the acronyms Modi has coined — or at least first mouthed publicly — target political opponents.

Among them are “Scam”(Samajwadi, Congress, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayavati), “AK-49” (Arvind Kejriwal and his first government that lasted 49 days), and “ABCD” (Adarsh, Bofors, Coal and Damaad) — a jab at the corruption allegations chasing the Congress ahead of the 2014 election.

Most of Modi’s acronyms, however, promote the government’s slogans or schemes, such as “Usttad” (Upgrading Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development), “Road” (Responsibility, Ownership, Accountability and Discipline), “Amrut” (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and “Pragati” (Pro-active governance and timely implementation).

The list includes diplomatic efforts like the rather laboured “Inch Towards Miles” (India-China Towards a Millennium of Exceptional Synergy) that Modi had coined while welcoming a visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014.

If that sounds rather ironical in the light of the current border tensions that drew Modi to Ladakh last week, even the “mockronyms” targeting the Opposition have sometimes been known to backfire.

After Modi taunted the Congress with “Orop” (Only Rahul, Only Priyanka), the main Opposition answered by punning on the name of a mosquito repellent — “Odomos” (Over-Dose of Only Modi, Only Shah).”