‘Ladakh moves towards new era of democratic decentralisation, governance reforms’
- Customised Article 371 framework for Ladakh under discussion
- Over 4,500 government posts filled or recruitment process completed
- Administrative reforms have brought government closer to people
- Administration committed to people-centric governance
- Govt highly responsive to the needs and interests of people of Ladakh
LEH: The Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh has decided to establish Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) in all seven districts of the Union Territory, marking a major step towards democratic decentralisation.
The announcement came during a press conference on Monday where Chief Secretary UT Ladakh Ashish Kundra highlighted the outcomes of recent consultations between the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ladakh’s representative bodies — the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).
The decision to extend Hill Councils to all seven districts has emerged as one of the key outcomes of the ongoing dialogue process aimed at addressing the aspirations of the people of Ladakh and strengthening local governance institutions.
The Chief Secretary said the decision has been taken under the provisions of the existing Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act, which provides for the establishment of an Autonomous Hill Development Council for each district. Necessary legal and administrative processes, including amendments wherever required and delimitation of constituencies, will now be undertaken.
He clarified that the seven district councils will function with powers defined under the LAHDC Act, while the proposed UT-level institutional mechanism under a customised Article 371 framework will be worked out separately through further consultations between Ladakh’s representatives and the Central Government.
The Administration also indicated progress towards a customised constitutional framework for Ladakh under Article 371. The Chief Secretary said discussions held during meetings with the MHA subcommittee on May 22 and July 3 in Leh were constructive, with stakeholders presenting their views and minutes of the discussions being signed by participants.
He said a conceptual understanding has emerged regarding a UT-level body having legislative, executive, financial and administrative powers. The detailed structure, composition and distribution of powers will be finalised after consultations involving Ladakh’s representatives, keeping in view legal and administrative aspects.
Describing it as a “customised model for Ladakh”, he said the framework would incorporate suitable features from different models while creating a governance structure tailored to the unique requirements of the Union Territory.
The expansion of Hill Councils comes alongside a series of administrative reforms aimed at bringing governance closer to citizens. Following the creation of seven new districts, the Administration has created 17 new tehsils and appointed tehsildars to strengthen revenue administration and improve access to government services in remote areas.
Similarly, new engineering divisions have been created, including four PHE/I&FC divisions and seven PWD divisions, of which five are PMGSY divisions, along with postings of officers to ensure dedicated infrastructure support at the district level.
The move aims to ensure that newly created districts are equipped with the necessary administrative and technical manpower so that people do not have to travel long distances for basic services and development-related issues.
Providing an update on employment, the Administration stated that more than 4,500 government posts have either been filled or recruitment processes completed since the formation of the Union Territory. The Chief Secretary informed that 411 non-gazetted posts have already been filled, while results for 473 additional posts have been declared and document verification is underway, taking the total completed recruitment figure to 4,484 posts.
With additional recruitments underway, including teacher, police and other departmental posts, the Administration reiterated its commitment to providing employment opportunities to the youth of Ladakh through transparent recruitment processes.
The latest decisions underline the Administration’s stated objective of decentralising governance in a geographically vast Union Territory spread over nearly 60,000 square kilometres.
The Chief Secretary said the Centre and UT Administration are committed to ensuring that the concerns of people living in remote areas are addressed closer to their homes and that governance becomes more participatory and accessible.
With the expansion of Hill Councils, progress on the customised Article 371 framework and strengthening of district-level administration, Ladakh is set to witness a significant restructuring of its democratic and governance architecture.
