Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena reviews the ongoing tourism development initiatives during his visit to the historic heritage village of Hunderman near the Line of Control (LoC), in Kargil on Thursday. (ANI Photo)Months after the Centre approved the creation of districts in the Union Territory of Ladakh, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Thursday gave his nod to the notification for creation of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) for each of them, saying that the move will “empower the people.”This comes two months after the decision was announced by the Ladakh administration.WHY IT MATTERSWith this, the framework of elected local self-governance, which was earlier limited to Leh and Kargil, will now be extended to the five newly created districts in the Union TerritoryIn April, L-G VK Saxena notified the creation of new districts in Ladakh. This comes at a time when representative groups from Ladakh — the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) — are in talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs, seeking greater democratic representation, a legislature and protections for their land and environment under the sixth schedule of the Constitution.‘Move will strengthen participatory local governance’The L-G said on Thursday that the establishment of the seven councils will decentralise and strengthen “participatory local governance, allowing local aspirations and priorities to be reflected more effectively and in district-level planning and development.”With the notification, LAHDCs will now be extended to all seven districts of Ladakh – Leh, Kargil, Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass.The framework of elected local self-governance, which was earlier limited to Leh and Kargil, will now be extended to the five newly created districts in the UT.The hill councils were created in 1995 under the LAHDC Act, with powers pertaining to allotment, use and occupation of land vested in the Council by the government, formulation of development programmes for the district, special measures for employment generation, public health and sanitation, local road transport and its development, among other functions.Story continues below this adThe Kargil Hill Council held elections in October 2023 while the term of the Leh council concluded in October 2025. Fresh elections to the Leh hill council have not been announced since, which is unprecedented.Leh and Kargil remain the most densely populated areas by virtue of being district headquarters over a long period of time. The Act currently provides for 26 directly elected councillors in each council who will then elect a chief executive councillor from among them.Also Read | Why Ladakh’s plan for 7 hill councils has triggered a political debate“The creation of Autonomous Hill Development Councils in all seven districts is a milestone in strengthening grassroots governance in Ladakh. This will empower the people and enable development to be more responsive to local needs and aspirations,” L-G Saxena said.The notification issued by the Revenue Department, UT of Ladakh, says the elections to the newly constituted Councils will be held in due course after a formal notification is issued under Section 8 of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act, 1997.Story continues below this adAs part of the Centre’s ongoing engagement with Ladakh, the Ministry of Home Affairs has fixed an official meeting of the sub committee on September 9 in Delhi. The last meeting between the MHA and Ladakh took place on May 22.Naveed Iqbal is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, and reports from Jammu and Kashmir. With a career spanning over 15 years in frontline journalism, Naveed provides authoritative reporting on the region’s transition, governance, and the socio-political implications of national policies. Expertise Regional Specialization: Based in the Srinagar and New Delhi bureaus, Naveed has spent over a decade documenting the unique challenges of Jammu and Kashmir. Her reporting is distinguished by deep contextual knowledge of the region's post-Article 370, statehood debates, and local electoral politics. Key Coverage Beats: Her extensive body of work covers: Politics & Governance: Tracking the National Conference (NC), PDP, and BJP dynamics, including in-depth coverage of J&K’s first Assembly sessions and Rajya Sabha polls following the reorganization of the state. Internal Security & Justice: Providing rigorous reporting on counter-insurgency operations, terror module investigations, and judicial developments involving political detainees and constitutional rights. Education & Minority Affairs: Highlighting systemic issues such as quota rows in J&K, public service commission reforms, and the challenges faced by minority communities. ... Read More Tags:Ladakh