Centre Announces Five New Districts in Ladakh

On Monday, the Centre revealed plans to create five new districts in the Union Territory of Ladakh. The new districts will be Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang.

Home Minister Amit Shah made the announcement via a social media post on X, highlighting the Modi government’s commitment to enhancing opportunities for Ladakh’s residents. He stated, “In line with PM @narendramodi Ji’s vision of a developed and prosperous Ladakh, the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to establish five new districts. This move will improve governance by bringing benefits closer to the people in every corner of the region.”

Shah emphasized the government’s dedication to fostering opportunities for the people of Ladakh.

The decision follows the Centre’s revocation of Article 370 in August 2019, which ended the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and resulted in the bifurcation of the region into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

In related news, elections in Jammu and Kashmir are scheduled to be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with vote counting set for October 4. These elections will be the first since the abrogation of Article 370 and will take place after a decade-long hiatus since the last assembly election in 2014. The previous PDP-BJP coalition government collapsed in June 2018, and the Supreme Court has mandated that the election process be completed by September 30, 2024.