Ladakh plans to extend Hill Council benefits to all five new districts

Srinagar: Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra on Monday said the administration is working to extend the benefits of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Act to the five newly created districts in the Union Territory.

Addressing a press conference in Leh, Kundra highlighted progress in government recruitment, decentralised governance and ongoing discussions on constitutional safeguards for Ladakh.

"The administration is working on an institutional framework suited to Ladakh's unique requirements and is also taking steps to extend the benefits of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Act to all seven districts through appropriate legal provisions," Kundra said. Currently, Ladakh has two LAHDCs - in Leh and Kargil.


Kundra said that following the announcement of seven new districts, the administration has issued posting orders for tehsildars in 17 newly created tehsils. He also said four new divisions under the Public Health Engineering (PHE) and Flood Control Department, along with five new divisions under the Public Works Department (PWD) and PMGSY, have been created to strengthen service delivery in remote areas. Necessary postings of officers have also been made.

He said the recent visit of the holy relics of Lord Buddha and the ongoing presence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama have brought immense blessings to the region.

Overall, he said, recruitment for 4,511 government posts has been completed by the administration, while another 684 posts are at various stages of recruitment.

He said these initiatives would bring government services closer to the people, reduce travel for residents of remote villages and strengthen infrastructure and development across regions, including Zanskar, Drass, Nubra, Changthang and Sham.

On the issue of constitutional safeguards, the Chief Secretary said several rounds of discussions have been held with representatives of religious organisations and civil society groups.