New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah has announced the creation of five new districts in Ladakh: Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang.>
Currently, Ladakh has two districts, Leh and Kargil. It has been reported to face administrative challenges due to its large area and difficult terrain.>
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has given in-principle approval for the new districts and requested the Ladakh administration to form a committee to manage details such as boundaries and infrastructure.>
The Ladakh administration is to submit a report on the formation of the new districts to the MHA within three months.>
On X, Amit Shah wrote that the decision is in pursuit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “vision to build a developed and prosperous Ladakh” and that the new districts “will take the benefits meant for the people to their doorsteps by bolstering governance in every nook and cranny.”>
Modi wrote that the decision will mean that people “will now receive more focused attention, bringing services and opportunities even closer to the people.”>
Meanwhile, Ladakh residents have been demanding statehood for a while now. Ladakh became a Union Territory on August 5, 2019, following the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir and the reading down of Article 370.>
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk who had earlier gone on a hunger strike demanding the implementation of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in Ladakh, has announced a similar protest again.>
In February, four demands had been forwarded by a body comprising all the eight tribes of Ladakh. These included full statehood for Ladakh, inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, establishment of a Public Service Commission in Ladakh for secure jobs and two MPs.