Move paves way for elected local self-governance in 5 new districts - Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass
Leh, September 3: The Central Government’s historic decision for creation of new Autonomous Hill Development Councils in all 7 districts of Ladakh reached its culmination today, with Lieutenant Governor, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, approving the notification for creation of 7 LAHDCs. The Centre, on 13 July 2026, had announced the creation of new LAHDCs in the UT of Ladakh.
The Lieutenant Governor thanked Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Hon’ble Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah for the historic step, stating that the establishment of the seven councils will decentralise and strengthen participatory local governance, allowing local aspirations and priorities to be reflected more effectively in district-level planning and development.
With the approval, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (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 thereby, be also extended to the five newly created districts in the UT.
The development marks a significant step towards decentralisation and strengthening of grassroots governance in Ladakh. The creation of the new councils will provide institutional mechanisms for greater participation of people in matters relating to the development and administration of their respective districts.
“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 Shri 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.
The notification will come into force from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
