Leh, July 14 -- The Ladakh administration on Monday announced an Autonomous Hill Development Council (AHDC) for each of its 7 districts, extending the existing framework of elected local self-governance beyond Leh and Kargil. Announcing the decision, chief secretary Ashish Kundra also said the proposed Union Territory-level body under a customised Article 371 framework would sit above the seven Hill Councils, exercising legislative, executive, financial and administrative powers. Ladakh moved from two districts to seven in April 2026, when Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass were notified. "The new districts get the same authority that Leh has held since 1995 and Kargil since 2003, not a reduced version of it," Kundra told reporters.P6...