Various political and social outfits of Ladakh have welcomed the Union home ministry’s announcement to create five new districts in the Union Territory (UT), hoping it would resolve various issues faced by the segregated areas of the landlocked region. They, however, reiterated the demand for making Ladakh a state and addressing vital issues such as unemployment and preservation of its culture and the indigenous population’s rights on land. Leh and Kargil were the only two districts in Ladakh, the largest UT in terms of area (86,904 sq.
km) but the second least populous (2.74 lakh as per the 2011 census). While announcing the creation of new districts of Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang, home minister Amit Shah, said in a post on ‘X’ said the decision was taken in pursuit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to build a developed and prosperous Ladakh.
He said that new districts “will take the benefits meant for the people to their doorsteps by bolstering governance in every nook and cranny.” He added, “The Modi government is committed to creating abundant opportunities for the people of Ladakh.” The home minister instructed the UT administration to establish a committee for evaluating various aspects related to the new districts to ensure that all details are carefully reviewed and addressed.
The committee will evaluate various aspects related to these new districts such as headquarters, boundaries, structure, creation of posts, and any other a.