Decision for new districts requires clarification, discussion

Recently, tweets from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and the personal handle of the Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah declared that Ladakh will have five new districts. However, there has been no official order or circular in this regard beyond the tweet. Sources report that this will not become a reality before 2028.

Many senior leaders have held press conferences on this issue while others have commented on social media. However, I feel it is important to share my perspective as a youth. First of all, I believe it is too early to celebrate this development. We had celebrated enthusiastically when Ladakh was given ‘Union Territory’ status in 2019 and then soon discovered that we did not have the necessary safeguards. This unified us as we held agitations, protests and hunger strikes to demand safeguards. We continue to protest peacefully and hold dialogues with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India. As youth, we have been following the leadership of Kaga Thupstan Chhewang, Kaga Tsering Dorjey Lakrook and Kaga Sonam Wangchuk who have been sharing their experience, knowledge and vision.

The decision to create five new districts in Ladakh has raised a number of questions. Firstly, what kind of districts will they be? Will they have full administrative powers? What sort of decision-making power will grassroots-level elected representatives have in these new districts? Since Ladakh became a Union Territory, there has been criticism that the power and authority of elected representatives in decision-making has diminished dramatically.

Also, what will be the process for job creation and formation of posts in the new districts? Since 2019, Apex Body, Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have been raising several demands including inclusion under Sixth Schedule of the Indian constitution and the need to urgently address the issue of unemployment and youth-related issues. These issues are particularly pressing. Despite dialogues with the Ministry of Home Affairs, there has been no substantial progress on either of these issues and youth in Ladakh are growing increasingly frustrated. Many youth are crossing the age limit to apply for various government jobs and there is continued uncertainty about the creation of gazette posts or a dedicated public service.

When the government announced the five new districts, there was widespread celebration on social media. However, we should be cautious not to repeat the mistakes of 2019 when we celebrated Ladakh becoming a UT only to realise in due course that there was no democratic representation and the absence of essential safeguards. I hope this will not be the case with the new districts.

In addition, the unemployment issue has still not been addressed in a meaningful way. Apex Body, Leh and KDA have met twice this year. It also held a meeting with BJP’s Ladakh unit, where it was decided that the BJP’s leaders from Ladakh would act as a bridge between Government of India and the leaders of Apex Body, Leh-KDA. A request has been sent to resume discussions on the four-point agenda at the earliest. While the announcement of the new districts is an important step, it is crucial that such developments do not undermine or derail the four-point agenda. I urge Government of India to show the same decisiveness it has showed with the declaration of five districts and include Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule to protect our environment, culture, and traditions. The youth of Ladakh are frustrated, and our environment, culture, and traditions are at stake. We are grateful for the new districts but hope that the issues of unemployment and the Sixth Schedule are also addressed.

By Stanzin Chosphel

Stanzin Chosphel is a youth activist.