Explainer: Hill Councils and the new deal for Ladakh

The governance framework for five newly notified districts has got a mixed response

Adil Akhzer

Updated At : 06:54 AM Jul 18, 2026 IST

The LAHDC works closely with village panchayats to govern economic planning, healthcare, etc. File photo

The Ladakh administration’s announcement regarding constitution of an Autonomous Hill Development Council (AHDC) in each of the seven districts practically extends the governance framework across the Union Territory. The five new districts that were notified in April this year — Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar, and Drass — will now have councils similar to Leh and Kargil.

THE TRIBUNE, India’s oldest, daily English-language newspaper, was first published on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan), and save for 40 days in the immediate aftermath of Partition, has come out every day over the last 145 years. THE TRIBUNE was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist of the time. The newspaper is run by a five-member Trust, which is chaired by Shri N N Vohra, former Governor of J&K State (2008-2018); as well as Justice S S Sodhi, former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court; Shri Gurbachan Jagat, former Governor of Manipur; Lt Gen. Shamsher Singh Mehta, former Western Army Commander; Shri Paramjit Singh Patwalia, Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court.

THE TRIBUNE is free, objective, and independent. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language, are the hallmarks of the paper.

The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).

Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia

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Explainer: Hill Councils and the new deal for Ladakh

The governance framework for five newly notified districts has got a mixed response

Adil Akhzer

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