Ladakhis March to Delhi: A Call for Statehood and Representation

Ladakhis March to Delhi: A Call for Statehood and Representation

To urge the Centre to resume the stalled dialogue with the leadership of Ladakh on their four-point agenda, at least 100 volunteers of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), led by educationist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk, started ‘Delhi Chalo’ foot march on Sunday from Leh. LAB and KDA are jointly spearheading an agitation over the past four years in support of their demands, including statehood, inclusion of Ladakh in Sixth Schedule, separate Public Service Commission and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts. The talks…

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MHA Approves Creation of 5 New Districts in Ladakh; Locals Celebrate Decision

MHA Approves Creation of 5 New Districts in Ladakh; Locals Celebrate Decision

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday decided to create five new districts in Ladakh. Informing about this decision in a post on the microblogging site ‘X’, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah said that with this decision, the 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. “After the formation of these five districts, there will now be a total of seven districts in Ladakh, including…

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New Dawn for Ladakh: Centre Announces Creation of 5 New Districts, Says Amit Shah

New Dawn for Ladakh: Centre Announces Creation of 5 New Districts, Says Amit Shah

Amit Shah attributed the decision to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to build a developed and prosperous Ladakh. The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to create five new districts in the union territory of Ladakh, said home minister Amit Shah on Monday. In a post on X, Amit Shah said the creation of new districts will take the benefits meant for the people to their doorsteps by bolstering governance in every nook and cranny. He attributed the decision to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to build a developed and prosperous…

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Ladakhis March for Change: Foot Journey from Leh to Delhi on 4-Point Agenda

Ladakhis March for Change: Foot Journey from Leh to Delhi on 4-Point Agenda

4-point agenda: Ladakhis plan foot march from Leh to Delhi The Leh Apex Body (LAB) on Saturday announced a foot march from Leh to Delhi next month to urge the Centre to resume the stalled dialogue with the leadership of Ladakh on their four-point agenda. The LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), both separate groupings of various political, social and religious organisations, are jointly spearheading an agitation over the past four years in support of statehood, extension of the Constitution’s sixth schedule, early recruitment process along with a public service…

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Tragedy Strikes Ladakh: School Bus Plunges into Gorge, 7 Dead, 20 Injured

Tragedy Strikes Ladakh: School Bus Plunges into Gorge, 7 Dead, 20 Injured

Seven people died while 20 others were injured after a school bus they were travelling in fell into a deep gorge near the Durbuk area in Leh district of Ladakh on Thursday afternoon. As per information, the bus driver was not able to negotiate a turn, following which the vehicle fell off the hill, causing injuries and fatalities. The Army and police immediately reached the spot and initiated the evacuation process. The area is far-off and remote from any inhabited location. An official statement read, “In a swift and compassionate…

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Five Summers Post-Reorganization: Ladakh’s Lingering Discontent

Five Summers Post-Reorganization: Ladakh’s Lingering Discontent

There is a trust deficit, for sure. We feel humiliated. No one listens to us. Whatever happened on August 5, 2019, is being seen as a betrayal. — Sajjad Kargili, an activist and leader from Kargil As part of the erstwhile star-crossed Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh troika, Ladakh had always felt like the third wheel. And so, the cold desert was awash with exuberance when, on August 5, 2019, the Centre did away with Article 370. It had come out of the shadows. But five summers later, its people feel that they have…

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Shinku La Tunnel Project Kicks Off: Modi’s Inaugural Blast Signals Progress

Shinku La Tunnel Project Kicks Off: Modi’s Inaugural Blast Signals Progress

The Shinku La tunnel in Ladakh is aimed at providing all-weather connectivity from Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Leh via the Nimmu-Padam-Darcha axis Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday carry out the “first blast” for the Shinku La tunnel in Ladakh, which is aimed at providing all-weather connectivity from Manali to Leh via the Nimmu-Padam-Darcha axis, officials aware of the matter said. The “first blast” is significant as it marks the beginning of the tunnel’s construction. Modi will do this remotely from the Kargil war memorial in Dras, where…

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Ladakh Set for a Fierce Battle as Jamyang Tsering Namgyal Mulls Independent Candidacy

Ladakh Set for a Fierce Battle as Jamyang Tsering Namgyal Mulls Independent Candidacy

The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) are reportedly going to support the INDIA bloc candidate in Ladakh A senior LAB member said the KDA had already announced that it would support the Opposition (Congress) if it fielded a Muslim candidate from Kargil “This is being done so that there is no division of votes. We will also support the candidate from Kargil,” the leader said The Ladakh Lok Sabha seat is headed for a tricky political situation as on one hand, sitting BJP MP BJP Jamyang…

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Ladakh Activist Sonam Wangchuk’s Hunger Strike Enters 15th Day, Focuses on Statehood and Constitutional Protections

Ladakh Activist Sonam Wangchuk's Hunger Strike Enters 15th Day, Focuses on Statehood and Constitutional Protections

Braving sub-zero temperatures, environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk began his ‘climate fast’ on March 6. The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on Tuesday called for a half-day general strike on Wednesday, March 20, in solidarity with renowned education reformist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike in Leh since March 6 over his demand for statehood and constitutional safeguards under the sixth schedule for the Union Territory of Ladakh. Braving sub-zero temperatures, environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk began his ‘climate fast’ after talks between the joint representatives of Leh-based Apex body and Kargil…

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Ayushman Arogya Mandirs: Ladakh Health Centres Rebranding Plan Meets with Buddhist Resistance

Ayushman Arogya Mandirs: Ladakh Health Centres Rebranding Plan Meets with Buddhist Resistance

The Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) and parties based in Kargil have opposed the government’s renaming of health centres as “Ayushman Arogya Mandirs” in the region. In a letter to the Chief Executive Councillor, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Chering Dorjey, acting president of LBA, said the recent order of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare renaming government medical aid centres and health and wellness centres as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs was unfortunate and “tantamount to playing with the sentiments of the people of Ladakh.” “From the comments…

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