Autonomous Hill Development Council announced for all seven districts in Ladakh. What does this mean?

Ladakh's chief secretary, Ashish Kundra, while addressing a press conference on Monday (July 13) announced that the Union Territory Administration will constitute an Autonomous Hill Development Council in each of the seven districts. Kundra described the move as a "major step towards democratic decentralisation and grassroots governance."

“Ladakh Administration has decided to constitute Autonomous Hill Development Council in each of the seven districts. It is a major step towards democratic decentralisation and grassroots governance,” Kundra said.

According to the press release, Section 3(1) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Act already provides for a Council for every district, to be constituted from a date the government notifies in the gazette. Only amendments to the Act were required, and a delimitation of constituencies remains.

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From two districts, Ladakh moved to seven in April 2026, when Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass were notified. Leh and Kargil, two existing Councils, had the elected representation until now.

With this announcement, each of the seven Councils will carry the full powers set out in the LAHDC Act. The new districts get the same authority that Leh has held since 1995 and Kargil since 2003, not a reduced version of it, the release noted.

Here are some of the powers these councils will have:

• The Hill Councils of Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass will have authority over land ownership and land allotment within the district
• Councils regulate recruitment and promotion for district cadre posts
• Councils will hold a dedicated Council Fund and will be able to levy taxes and fees. Each new district will have a revenue base of its own
• These Councils will be able to formulate their own development plans, rather than receiving them from Leh or Kargil
• They will be responsible for health, education and tourism at the district level, along with local infrastructure and social welfare schemes