Ladakh Committee Meets Today to Address Culture, Land Rights & Statehood Demands

The officials stated that the Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, will be chairing the meeting of the committee constituted to examine and deliberate on issues related to the Union Territory of Ladakh. The meeting will take place at around 4 pm at the Union Ministry of Home Affairs' newly constructed office in Kartavya Bhawan-3.

The meeting followed a letter issued on January 8, 2026, in which members of the High-Powered Committee were consulted to ascertain their convenient dates for the next meeting.

In 2023, the MHA formed a high-powered committee under Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai to discuss ways to protect Ladakh's unique culture and language, considering its location and strategic importance. The panel, which included the members of the Leh ApexBody (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), a collective of trade unions, tourist bodies, and religious and political groups, deliberated on protections for land and employment, and the empowerment of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils of Leh and Kargil, and other constitutional safeguards. The government representatives of the meeting comprise the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, the MP, and officials.

The HPC for Ladakh aims to protect Ladakh's culture, language, land, and employment, empower local councils (LAHDCs), and provide constitutional safeguards, with recent meetings in late 2023, early 2024, focusing on demands like Sixth Schedule inclusion and Statehood from groups like the LAB and KDA.

The purpose of the meeting is to take measures to protect the Ladakh region's unique culture and language taking into consideration its geographical location and its strategic importance, to ensure protection of land and employment, inclusive development and employment generation in the region, empowerment of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) of Leh and Kargil, and constitutional safeguards that could be provided to ensure the measures and protection.

At the December 4, 2023, HPC meeting, MoS Rai said the government would continue to engage with the ABL and KDA and the people of Ladakh for holistic and sustainable development of the UT of Ladakh on a regular basis. ABL and KDA welcomed the decision of MHA to modify the terms of reference and also the inclusion of new members. The ABL and KDA members then submitted various issues pertaining to the protection of the rights of Ladakh residents, fast-track recruitment processes, the strengthening of LAHDCs, and greater participation in the decision making.

- ANI