All eyes on Govind Mohan as hopes pinned on new districts’ formalisation
Leh, Jun 29: After the visits of Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Arjun Ram Meghwal highlighted the Cold Desert, the month of June for Ladakh is ending on yet another significant visit –and probably the most important one. Union Home Secretary, Govind Mohan is scheduled to arrive in the Union Territory of Ladakh on Monday, in a visit which is of greater significance for the people of Ladakh.
Seen by locals as the bearer of good news for Ladakh, people in the Union Territory are awaiting for some more good news to roll out after Govind’s visit.
Coming a month after Ladakh was granted 95% reservations in gazetted posts, along with 100% reservations in non-gazetted ones, along with a 15-year timeline for treating the persons as domiciles of Ladakh post 2019, Govind Mohan’s visit will prove to be a stepping stone towards another issue of higher importance—the formalisation of five new districts for Ladakh.
The Union Home Secretary is also slated to take a thorough review of different developmental works being undertaken in Ladakh and take stock of the overall situation in the Union Territory in his meetings with Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Brig (Retd) BD Mishra, and with senior officers of the administration.
If sources are to be believed, this visit would finalise the formalisation of the creation of new five districts announced for Ladakh last year along with the Reservation Rules. Before Mohan lands, the UT administration has notified amendments to the Ladakh Reservation Rules, 2025, and finalised an official list of villages and hamlets near the Actual Line of Control (ALC), the residents of which also have a quota in the reservations for the jobs.
Mohan is also scheduled to review the changes, if any, in the structure of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) in these new five districts, enabling the MHA to take the final call in this regard.
Govind Mohan’s visit to Ladakh is coming at a time when the seeds of discord sown by some elements having vested interests have been undone by the proactive and protective approach of the Ministry of Home Affairs over the years.
When the Centre government announced the creation of Ladakh as a separate Union Territory in 2019, it was a dream come true for every Ladakhi. The efforts of the then Member of Parliament J T Namgyal and other nationalist leaders of Ladakh were notable in this achievement.
However, things started going in mode of chaos and confusion, when some elements took it upon themselves to mislead the people of Ladakh, with their untenable demands and unreasonable approaches towards that. Ladakhis, however, did not get fazed and put their faith in the dispensation in New Delhi which had fulfilled their decades-long dream.
And they were not disappointed!
New Delhi, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and led by the Ministry of Home Affairs under Amit Shah, ensured that it exhibits patience and a policy-driven approach towards Ladakh.
A dialogue table was set up even as MHA deputed officers who had their feet and ears to the ground to understand and honour the sentiment of Ladakh and finally the nationalistic people of Ladakh were given what they deserved; rather more than what they demanded. The MHA proved that the real crown of India was Ladakh.
Ladakh’s apprehensions about their identity and culture, land and environment, jobs and propriety—all of them were addressed and the attempts to create a divide between Ladakh and Delhi were destroyed. The key actors in this were LG Brigadier B D Mishra and Chief Secretary Pawan Kotwal in Ladakh, where at the forefront in New Delhi were Home Minister Amit Shah, his deputy Nityanand Rai and Home Secretary Govind Mohan.
For the uninitiated, Govind Mohan has a long-running connection to Ladakh. Even before he assumed chair as Union Home Secretary, Mohan has been a votary of protecting and preserving Ladakh’s unique and rich culture and heritage as Secretary, Culture, Government of India.
Mohan, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, has served as Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry before being appointed as Secretary in the Ministry of Culture in October 2021.
Three days after Mohan assumed charge as Union Home Secretary on August 23 last year, the Centre announced five new districts for Ladakh including Sham, Nubra and Changthang in Leh; and Zanskar and Drass in Kargil.
As Ladakh celebrated this historic decision, Mohan flew to Ladakh in the first week of September last year, where he reviewed the progress of developmental works and Central Flagship Schemes in the Union Territory, along with the progress of road infrastructure projects in the region, while stressing for protecting and preserving the cultural significance of Ladakh.
As Mohan arrives Monday morning, here is hoping for his productive visit, leading to greater stability and progress in Ladakh.
