Ladakh gets 5 new districts; ‘Step towards prosperity’, says PM Modi

NEW DELHI — Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday announced that the Centre has decided to create five new districts in the Union Territory of Ladakh — Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang.

 “The Modi government is committed to creating abundant opportunities for the people of Ladakh,” the Home Minister asserted while attributing the move to Prime Minister’s vision for building a developed and prosperous 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,” Amit Shah said in a post on X.

Hailing the creation of the five new districts in Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it 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,” PM Modi said in a post on X, while extending congratulations to the residents of these districts.

Notably, Ladakh currently has only two districts — Leh and Kargil — both governed by their autonomous district councils. After the creation of the new districts, Ladakh will now have seven districts in total.

Ladakh was a part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir until 2019. The revocation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, led to the bifurcation the J&K state into two separate Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir (with a legislative Assembly) and Ladakh (without legislature).

The revocation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir, after 2019, made Central laws applicable in the UTs, which was earlier not the case.

The creation of five new districts in Ladakh comes close on the heels of the announcement of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the first after 2019.

The three-phase elections will be held on September, 18, 25, and October 1. The results will be out on October 4.