LAHDC Act expansion to all seven districts to strengthen grassroots governance: BJP Ladakh

Long-pending aspiration fulfilled: BJP Chief Khachu

Move will deepen local participation in governance: Former CEC Leh Tashi Gyalson

LEH: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Ladakh on Monday welcomed the decision to extend the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Act to all seven districts of the Union Territory, describing it as a major step towards decentralised governance and enhanced public participation in the administrative process.

BJP Ladakh State President Tashi Gyaltson Khachu, along with former Chairman and Chief Executive Councillor of LAHDC Leh, Advocate Tashi Gyalson, congratulated the people of Ladakh, particularly those of Leh, Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Kargil, Drass and Zanskar, following the announcement to establish Autonomous Hill Development Councils in all seven districts.

Addressing the development, Khachu said the decision reflected the BJP-led Government’s commitment to fulfilling a long-pending demand of the people of Ladakh. He maintained that the extension of the LAHDC Act would strengthen grassroots governance, bring administrative institutions closer to residents and promote greater public participation in development planning across the Union Territory.

He said the establishment of district-level Autonomous Hill Development Councils would facilitate doorstep governance and improve the delivery of public services in geographically diverse and remote areas of Ladakh.

Advocate Tashi Gyalson also welcomed the approval granted by the Ministry of Home Affairs for extending the LAHDC Act across all seven districts, followed by the announcement of the Union Territory Administration to establish seven Autonomous Hill Development Councils.

He said the decision would deepen grassroots democracy, widen local participation in governance and further strengthen Ladakh’s administrative framework by empowering district-level institutions.

Both leaders expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, stating that the decision fulfilled a long-standing aspiration of the people of Ladakh. The announcement marks a new phase in the administrative structure of the Union Territory, with the proposed expansion of the LAHDC framework expected to extend the system of local self-governance beyond the existing councils in Leh and Kargil.