Autonomous hill councils to be extended to all seven districts in Ladakh
The Ladakh administration is creating 17 new tehsils and extending the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act to all seven districts to improve grassroots governance. These measures aim to bring government services closer to remote regions and strengthen local infrastructure.
Why it matters
Administrative restructuring in Ladakh is critical for regional development and addressing the unique governance needs of the Union Territory.
The Ladakh administration on Monday (July 13, 2026) announced 17 new tehsils “to strengthen grassroots governance” in the Union Territory and said the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Act will be extended to all seven districts of the region.
“The administration is working on an institutional framework suited to Ladakh’s unique requirements and is also taking steps to extend the benefits of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Act to all seven newly created districts through appropriate legal provisions,” said Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra.
Earlier, Ladakh had only two districts of Leh and Kargil. However, five new districts of Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass were notified in April this year. With 17 additional tehsils, Ladakh has a total of 32 tehsils now.
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