India, Sept. 4 -- Moving one step closer towards decentralisation and strengthening of grassroots governance in Ladakh, the Lieutenant Governor, Vinai Kumar Saxena, on Thursday approved the notification for the creation of seven Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs).

The Centre, on 13 July 2026, had announced the creation of new LAHDCs in the UT of Ladakh. With the approval, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) will now be extended to all seven districts of Ladakh, namely Leh, Kargil, Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass.

The framework of elected local self-governance, which was earlier limited to Leh and Kargil, will thereby also be extended to the five newly created districts in the UT.

The formal...