Leh, July 13 -- Ladakh's Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra has announced that the Union Territory Administration will constitute an Autonomous Hill Development Council in each of the seven districts on Monday.

Adressing a press conference in Leh, he described it as a major step towards democratic decentralisation and grassroots governance.

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, according to a release.

Ladakh moved from two districts to seven in April, when Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass ...