The Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday announced the creation of five new districts in the Union Territory of Ladakh, taking the total number of districts to seven in the region.

The new districts are Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang.

Ladakh currently has only two districts, Leh and Kargil, each managed by its autonomous district council.

Announcing the decision the Union Home Minister said, "The Narendra Modi Government is committed to creating abundant opportunities for the people of Ladakh. The new districts, namely Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang, will take the benefits meant for the people to their doorsteps by bolstering governance in every nook and cranny."

Ladakh got a Union Territory status after the Centre revoked Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two UTs in 2019. Being a UT, Ladakh comes under the direct administrative control of the Home Ministry.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hailed the creation of five new districts in Ladakh as a step towards better governance and prosperity.

Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang will now receive more focused attention, bringing services and opportunities even closer to people, he said, congratulating them. He said on X, "Creation of five new districts in Ladakh is a step towards better Governance and prosperity."

Chairman/Chief Executive Councillor, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Tashi Gyalson also extended greetings to both Modi and Shah for the historic announcement. Engineer turned education reformer and environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk also welcomed the announcement and hoped the newly created districts would be administered by the Independent district councils under the sixth schedule.