Govt releases new political maps of J&K and Ladakh

November 4, 2019

The Union goverment released the political maps of newly formed Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh as well as the map of India depicting these new UTs. This development comes as the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganized as the new UT of Jammu and Kashmir and the new UT of Ladakh on 31 October 2019, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and supervision of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Key Highlights

The new maps depicting the new UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, as created on 31 October 2019, along with the map of India, are prepared by Survey General of India.

The newly created UT of Ladakh consists of two districts of Kargil and Leh while the rest of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir is in UT of J&K. The Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is the part of UT of J&K, while Gilgit-Baltistan is in UT of Ladakh.

The Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh were created after on recommendation of Parliament, the President effectively dismantled Article 370 of Indian Constitution and gave assent to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

In the history of India, this is for the first time that a state was converted into two UTs. The total number of states in country has now risen to 28, while the total UTs have gone up to 9. The UT of J&K will now have a legislature such as Puducherry while Ladakh will stay a UT without legislature such as Chandigarh.

Jammu and Kashmir Map

In 1947, the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir had 14 districts namely- Udhampur, Anantnag, Poonch, Jammu, Gilgit, Baramulla, Leh and Ladakh, Kathua, Reasi, Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilhas and the Tribal Territory.

However by 2019, the government of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir had reorganised the areas of these 14 districts into 28 districts. The names of new districts were – Srinagar, Pulwama, Kargil, Ramban, Kupwara, Bandipur, Ganderbal, Budgam, Kulgam, Shupian, Doda, Kishtivar, Samba and Rajouri. Out of these, the Kargil district was carved out from the area of Leh and Ladakh district. The newly created map now depicts UT of J&K as comprising 22 districts.

Ladakh Map

The Leh district of newly formed Union Territory of Ladakh has been defined in Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Second Order, 2019 (issued by President), to include areas of districts of Gilgit, Chilhas, Gilgit Wazarat and Tribal Territory of 1947, in addition to the remaining areas of Leh and Ladakh districts of 1947 (after carving out the Kargil District).