High-powered committee meeting on Ladakh scheduled for February 4 in New Delhi

New Delhi: The next meeting of the High-Powered Committee (HPC) constituted for the Union Territory of Ladakh will be held on February 4, an official communication of the Ministry of Home Affairs informed.As per the communication, the meeting will take place at around 4 pm at the MHA’s new office in Kartavya Bhawan-3.Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, will chair the meeting of the committee constituted to examine and deliberate on issues related to the Union Territory of Ladakh.The ministry said the meeting follows its earlier letter dated January 8, in which members of the High-Powered Committee were consulted to ascertain their convenient dates for the next meeting.In 2023, the Union Home Ministry formed a high-powered committee under the Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, to discuss ways to protect Ladakh’s unique culture and language, given 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. Recent meetings in late 2023 and early 2024 focused on demands such as 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 that the government would continue to engage with the ABL, KDA, and the people of Ladakh on a regular basis to support the holistic and sustainable development of the UT of Ladakh. ABL and KDA welcomed the MHA’s decision to modify the terms of reference and to include 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, strengthening of LAHDCs, and greater participation in decision-making.