NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday announced the creation of five new districts - Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang - in the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh with an aim to have better governance penetration in remote areas.
Announcing the decision of the MHA, Union Home Minister Amit Shah in one of his ‘X’ posts said, the Modi government is committed to creating abundant opportunities for the people of Ladakh.
“In pursuit of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s vision to build a developed and prosperous Ladakh, the MHA has decided to create five new districts in the union territory. The new districts, namely Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang, will take the benefits meant for the people to their doorsteps by bolstering governance in every nook and cranny,” the Minister said, adding: “The Modi government is committed to creating abundant opportunities for the people of Ladakh”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while congratulating the people of the UT, said, “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.”
Later in a statement, the MHA said that along with giving “in-principle approval” for the formation of five new districts, the government has asked the Ladakh administration to form a committee to assess various aspects related to the formation of new districts, such as headquarters, boundaries, structure, creation of posts and any other aspect related to the formation of district and submit its report within three months.
“After receiving the report, the UT of Ladakh will send the final proposal regarding the creation of new districts to the MHA for further action,” it said, adding that the Modi government at the Centre is fully committed to creating immense possibilities for the people of Ladakh.
In the statement, the MHA further said, “Ladakh is a very large UT in terms of area with currently having only two districts - Leh and Kargil. Being extremely difficult and inaccessible, at present the district administration is facing many difficulties in reaching the grassroots level. After the formation of these districts, now all the public welfare schemes of the Central Government and Ladakh Administration will be able to reach the people easily.”
In August 2019, the Modi government had done away with special provisions under Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and reorganised the region into two UTs - Jammu and Kashmir (with assembly) and Ladakh (without assembly.
Meanwhile, polling in Jammu and Kashmir will take place in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with vote counting scheduled for October 4.
These will be the first elections held in the region since the abrogation of Article 370. Jammu and Kashmir will witness elections after a gap of ten years, as the last assembly election was held in 2014.
The PDP-BJP coalition government fell in June 2018 when the latter withdrew support to the then-Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti. In December of last year, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to conclude the election process by September 30, 2024.