NEW DELHI: Two prominent civil society groups from the Ladakh Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance on Friday claimed to have reached a “principled understanding” with the Center on providing constitutional safeguards to the Union Territory.
In a joint statement, after the sub-committee meeting here, the two groups said they have reached a “principled understanding” with the Government of India on restoring democracy in Ladakh and providing constitutional safeguards on the Nagaland, Sikkim and Mizoram lines under Article 371.
An official statement from the center was not immediately available.
Discussions took place during the subcommittee comprising senior representatives from LAB and KDA and also from the Ministry of Interior.
The two groups stuck to their demands of restoration of democracy, constitutional guarantees, demand for statehood and protection of the Sixth Schedule, reflecting the shared commitment of all stakeholders towards a comprehensive and sustainable governance framework for the region.
The statement said that after detailed and constructive deliberations, the two sides reached a “principled understanding” on several important points.
“In this model, the legislative, executive and financial powers will lie in the hands of the representatives elected through the Union Territory level legislature. All UT bureaucrats including the Chief Secretary will be subordinate to the Chief Executive to the UT level elected body,” the statement said.
She said MHA officials explained that the only reason Ladakh cannot be made a state at present is that it currently lacks sufficient revenue generation to meet revenue expenditures such as salaries of employees.
“However, this setup will take Ladakh towards full statehood when it meets the revenue criteria,” the statement said.
The KDA and LAB said they look forward to working closely on the finer operational details with the MHA in consultation with legal and constitutional experts.
The sub-committee was constituted following a meeting held on 19 February 2024 between the SC and a 14-member delegation of LAB and KDA, representing various organizations in the Union Territory.
The Home Ministry has constituted the Ladakh HPC Committee with a mandate to discuss necessary measures to be taken to protect the unique culture and language of the region, keeping in mind its geographical location and strategic importance.
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