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.
He said that the government is working towards further enhancing opportunities for the people of Ladakh, and the decision to create two new districts is based on the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a developed and prosperous Ladakh.
In continuation of the vision of PM Shri. @narendramodi Ji for developing and making Ladakh a prosperous region, MHA today decided to add five new districts to the Union Territory. New districts—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," tweeted Amit Shah in a post on X.
Welcoming the move, Prime Minister Modi termed the decision as one towards better governance and prosperity: "Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang would henceforth be given greater attention with facilities and opportunities coming closer to the people." In a congratulatory post on X to the residents of the new districts, PM Modi said of the move.
At present, Ladakh comprises two districts, Leh and Kargil, both having their own autonomous district councils. Now, with the addition of these new districts, Ladakh will have a total number of seven districts. Till 2019, Ladakh was part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. On 5th August 2019, abrogation of Article 370 resulted in the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories: one known as Jammu and Kashmir.
With the abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, the Central laws became operational in the Union Territories, not so earlier. These five new districts in Ladakh were announced just within days of the announcement of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time since 2019. Elections are due to be held on September 18, 25 and October 1 in three phases, with the results expected on October 4.
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