New map of India released; Ladakh, J&K boundaries updated
On Saturday, the Republic of India got a new political map, demarcating the boundaries of the now bifurcated state of Jammu and Kashmir. The new map details the 28 Indian states and nine Union Territories, including the newly-created UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The Centre had announced the decision to bifurcate J&K into two UTs on August 5 this year.
Ladakh UT to include Kargil, Leh districts
According to the notification, the newly-formed UT of Ladakh will include the districts of Kargil and Leh. The UT of Jammu and Kashmir will be composed of the remaining districts, which include Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam, Doda, Ganderbal, Jammu, Kathua, Kishtwar, Kupwara, Kulgam, Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Pulwama, Rajouri, Rambam, Reasi, Samba, Shopian, Srinagar, and Udhampur.
Last week, government appointed Lieutenant Governors of Ladakh, J&K
Meanwhile, the Lieutenant Governors of J&K and Ladakh on Thursday took oaths of office along with the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Earlier last week, the Centre had appointed Girish Chandra Murmu, an IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, as the L-G of J&K; and Radha Krishna Mathur, a retired IAS officer of Tripura cadre, as the L-G of Ladakh.
J&K officially split into two UTs on Thursday
The new political map of India comes mere two days after the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was officially split into the two Union Territories. The decision to bifurcate J&K was announced on August 5, when the Centre repealed the state's special status by abrogating Article 370. With the move, the President's rule imposed in the erstwhile state also comes to an end.
Move to repeal Article 370 faced immense backlash
Notably, the move to revoke J&K's special status wasn't without controversy as reports of human rights violations emerged from the region amid the Centre-imposed restrictions, including a communication blackout, ahead of the August 5 announcement. Several politicians were detained, communication lines snapped, thousands of Army personnel were deployed across the region along with many curfew-like restrictions, which have slowly been eased since August.
