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India announces five more districts for Ladakh as statehood demand simmers

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(TibetanReview.net, Aug26’24) – The Indian government has today announced the creation of five new districts in its Union Territory of Ladakh, bringing the total to seven. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has named the new districts as Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang. Ladakhis have, however, been seeking statehood with legislature for the Union Territory. The announcement came as its residents announced a plan to launch a foot march from Leh to Delhi next month to press their demands.

Ladakh currently has two districts, Leh and Kargil, each managed by their respective autonomous district councils.

“The Modi government is committed to creating abundant opportunities for the people of Ladakh,” Mr Shah has said. “The new districts … will take the benefits meant for the people to their doorsteps by bolstering governance in every nook and cranny.”

“Creation of five new districts in Ladakh is a step towards better governance and prosperity. Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang will now receive more focused attention, bringing services and opportunities even closer to the people. Congratulations to the people there,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X (Formerly Twitter).

Ladakh was part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir until 2019. The state enjoyed a special status under Article 370 of the constitution of India. New Delhi revoked the article that year and created two Union Territories – Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir – ruled directly from New Delhi under the union Home Ministry.

The announcement of the creation of the new districts came after the Leh Apex Body (LAB) had announced on Aug 24 a foot march from Leh to Delhi next month to urge the Centre to resume the stalled dialogue with the leadership of Ladakh on their four-point agenda, which included giving Ladakh statehood with legislature.

The LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), both separate groupings of various political, social and religious organisations from the two existing districts, have jointly been spearheading an agitation over the past four years in support of statehood, extension of the Constitution’s sixth schedule, early recruitment process along with a public service commission for Ladakh, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.

A minimum of 100 volunteers accompanied by Sonam Wangchuk — educator, innovator, and climate activist— will start walking from Leh on Sep 1 and reach Delhi on Gandhi Jayanti on Oct 2, said the PTI news agency Aug 24.

Sonam Wangchuk has said if the Ladakhi leaders were not called for dialogue on the four-point agenda, he and others would undertake another round of hunger strike. “The LAB has decided not to go on a hunger strike for the time being to give more time to the government. We are prepared for it as well,” he has added.

Lamenting what he sees as lack of democracy under the present dispensation, Sonam Wangchuk has said in an interview with the frontline.thehindu.com Aug 26: “There is a significant democratic deficit in the region. Hill councils are excluded from major decision-making processes and primarily handle local civic issues. These councils manage less than 10% of Ladakh’s total budget, with over 90% controlled by the Lieutenant Governor alone. As a result, democratic representation is severely lacking.”

* * *

Sonam Wangchuk has expressed joy at “an old demand” being fulfilled following the announcement of the creation of the new districts.

“This was a very old demand. Now we need to see if these are merely administrative districts or if they are democratic districts. The government had promised to include Ladakh in the 6th Schedule in 2019, so if these districts are declared according to the autonomic district council, where elected representatives make decisions about their development, then it aligns with the 6th Schedule, and this is a matter of great joy,” he has tweeted on X today.

He has not commented on whether this will affect the planned foot march from Leh to Delhi.

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