MHA committed to fast-track development of Ladakh: MoS Home Nityanand Rai in High-Powered Committee meet

Rai's statement came in a High Powered Committee (HPC) meeting held in Delhi under his chairmanship.

Apex Body Leh (ABL) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) also participated in the meeting, in which MoS Rai said that the government would continue to engage with the ABL, KDA and people of Ladakh for holistic and sustainable development of the Union Territory (UT) on a regular basis.

He added that significant progress has been achieved since the formation of the UT in 2019.

"Due to this historic step in the formation of the Union Territory, governance and thereby developments have been brought closer to the people of Ladakh," said the Mikister.

He also said that a number of initiatives, like increasing the budgetary allocation for the UT, increasing funds provided to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils, ensuring all-round connectivity, developing infrastructure like mobile networks and roads, and the construction of new helipads, have been undertaken at a much faster pace.

The ABL and KDA members submitted various issues pertaining to the protection of the rights of Ladakh residents, fast-track recruitment processes, strengthening of LAHDCs, and greater participation in decision-making.

The MHA constituted the HPC for Ladakh under the chairmanship of Rai with a mandate to discuss measures to protect the Ladakh region's unique culture and language taking into consideration its geographical location and its strategic importance

The HPC's role is to ensure the protection of land and employment, as well as ensure measures for inclusive development and employment generation in the region.

Measures related to the empowerment of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) of Leh and Kargil and constitutional safeguards that could be provided to ensure the measures and protection are also among the responsibilities of the HPC. (ANI)