LAHDCs To Be Set Up In All 7 Ladakh Districts, Elections To Follow
LEH:
Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved the notification for creation of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) in all seven districts of the Union Territory, describing it as a “historic day” for Ladakh.
Saxena said the decision follows the creation of five new districts—Sham, Nubra, Zanskar, Drass and Changthang—in April this year and the Centre’s decision on July 13 to extend the LAHDC system to all seven districts.
“This landmark move will decentralise and strengthen local governance, ensure true autonomy for our local bodies and fulfil the long-standing aspirations of our people at the grassroots level,” Saxena said.
He said the notification would pave the way for the election process to these councils, which would begin in due course. The move, he added, would empower Ladakh and its people to chart their own path of progress and inclusive development.
Saxena credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their leadership and guidance behind the decision. He said the expansion of LAHDCs reaffirmed the government’s resolve to build a stronger, developed and more empowered Ladakh.
The LAHDC system has its roots in the demand for greater local autonomy and participatory governance in the geographically remote and culturally distinct region.
The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, was constituted in 1995, followed by the council in Kargil in 2003, providing elected local institutions with powers over development planning and implementation.
With Ladakh becoming a Union Territory in October 2019 following the reorganisation of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir, the councils continued to serve as an important layer of local governance.
The extension of LAHDCs to all seven districts now marks a major expansion of this decentralised governance framework.
The LG congratulated the people of Ladakh on what he termed a historic occasion.
