Article 371 Safe Discussed As Safeguard Option For Ladakh: CS Kundra

Ladakh | October, 17: Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra on Saturday stated that Article 371 of the Constitution offers sufficient flexibility to provide constitutional safeguards for the region through a separate proposed provision, Article 371K.
Addressing a press conference, Chief Secretary Kundra said, “These provisions were discussed during negotiations to address the region’s demands and are under active consideration.” Officials said that several administrative models were evaluated before Article 371 emerged as a practical alternative to the Sixth Schedule, statehood, or a Union Territory with a legislature. Kundra noted, “Fundamentally, as I said, it is about constitutional safeguards. It has many models.”
Addressing the Sixth Schedule demand, Kundra explained that it was tailored for Northeastern regions where minority tribes require protection against majority groups, making it contextually unsuitable for Ladakh. Regarding statehood, he highlighted that Ladakh currently receives 100 per cent central funding for operational costs, including salaries and pensions, whereas UTs with legislatures must generate their own revenue. “So, it was suggested that we will fulfil the fundamental demand of the central government. But we will find another creative solution for that,” he noted. He added that Article 371K could be customized specifically for the region, sharing that during previous positive discussions, the Ministry of Home Affairs provided a 32-page document on February 16 outlining the future democratic framework. Kundra affirmed, “The constitutional amendment and the demands of the people here. What kind of democratic structure will it be? It will come out through a discussion, through reflection.”