Jammu/ Srinagar, May 2 -- Amid protracted agitation by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) over statehood and constitutional safeguards under the sixth schedule of the Constitution, Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted that after 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government continue to accord top priority to the development of the union territory. In this context, the home minister cited some figures to drive home his point. "Before 2019 (when Article 370 was not revoked and J&K, including Ladakh, was one state), there were only 1,800 km roads in Ladakh but it has now gone up to 4,040 km, which means doubling the road network. Since 2019, the Centre has constructed a total of 72 bridges recording a three times increase," he said in his speech at the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS) at Leh. While talking about the teachings of Lord Buddha, the Union minister said that amid conflict and disorder, the path of peace and compassion can provide a lasting solution. Shah, on the final day of his two-day visit to Ladakh, inaugurated the historic exhibition of Lord Buddha's sacred relics in Leh on the occasion of the 2569th Buddha Purnima and addressed a large gathering on the occasion. "The arrival of the holy relics in Ladakh remind us that the Indian civilisation has given the message of peace and existence in togetherness from thousands of years. In a region like Ladakh and Kargil, this message gets more relevant. This legacy tells us that amid conflict and disorder, only the path of peace and compassion can provide us a solution," Shah said at the gathering which was also attended by lieutenant governor of Ladakh, Vinai Kumar Saxena. "Mobile towers rose from 344 to 653, helipads from 7 to 41, snow clearing machines from 7 to 215 and electricity distribution transformers from 1,182 to 3,153. I mentioned these figures to convey how PM Modi and his government have been focusing on Ladakh," Shah said. He said that Ladakh has emerged as a model of rapid transformation since the 2019 bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. He referred to five new districts that have been created to ensure all-round and equal development of the vast region. "Ladakh had an old demand of being made a UT and the basic reason for this demand was under-development. Development was not taking place here. Now, I want to tell you what has been done after it was made a union territory in 2019," Shah said. He said that Ladakh now has seven districts and 193 panchayats, with five new districts viz, Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass. "The region has remained at the centre of the central government's development agenda", he said. "We want that this border UT becomes self-reliant and I express gratitude to the people of Ladakh because whenever sovereignty of India is threatened here (on this frontier), security forces reach later but the people of Ladakh are the first to take the bullets of the enemy on their chest," he said. "The history of Bharat Scouts is known to the entire nation, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Dwarka to Kamakhya. The patriotism of people of Ladakh and love for the nation is praised by every Indian citizen," he added. He recalled that Ladakh had long demanded UT status due to lack of development and asserted that the decision had brought visible change across sectors. Ladakhi groups have been vociferously raking up the demand of statehood, sixth schedule and release of 83 people, who were arrested post September 24 violence in Leh that left four people dead and 100 others injured. Shah said that local languages had also been given administrative recognition. "Earlier only Hindi and English were in use, but now Bhoti, Purgi and Urdu have also been accorded importance", he said. He said the impact of better infrastructure was visible in road connectivity, with the Zojila Pass, which earlier remained shut for 127 days, remaining closed for only 19 days this year. Shah went on to list other development measures initiated by the BJP-led government in Ladakh and recalled the establishment of Sindhu Central University, 174 ICT labs, 130 smart classrooms created, 40 science laboratories and 24 Atal Tinkering Labs. "Ladakh became a fully literate administrative unit in 2024 and there is no illiterate person left in the region," he claimed. He said that Ladakh's budget has risen from Rs 1,000 crore when it was part of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state to Rs 6,000 crore now. Shah on Friday virtually laid the foundation stone of a 10,000 litres per day dairy plant in Kargil and launched a series of dairy development initiatives for Ladakh. The initiatives, launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, include mobile milk testing laboratories, modern milk cooling systems and strengthening of dairy infrastructure aimed at boosting self-reliance in the union territory. Officials said a modern dairy processing plant with a capacity of 10,000 litres per day is being set up at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore by the Indian Dairy Machinery Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). The project is being implemented under the National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) of the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, with a grant of Rs 12.74 crore, assistance of Rs 10 crore from NDDF and the remaining financing through LUTDCF funds routed via the Himachal Pradesh administration, they said. The plant will run on a 350-kilowatt solar energy-based system, ensuring clean and sustainable operations in the high-altitude region, officials said. For milk procurement, a modern mobile milk collection and cooling system will be deployed to directly collect milk from farmers, preserve quality and strengthen the regional economy....