The Debate on Statehood vs. Sixth Schedule of The Ladakh UPSC NOTE

  The Debate on Statehood vs. Sixth Schedule of The Ladakh UPSC Relevance Prelims: Indian Polity and Governance (Sixth Schedule, Union Terr...

 The Debate on Statehood vs. Sixth Schedule of The Ladakh

UPSC Relevance

• Prelims: Indian Polity and Governance (Sixth Schedule, Union Territories, Abrogation of Article 370, National Security Act - NSA, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council - LAHDC); Current Events of National Importance.

• Mains:

• General Studies Paper 2 (Polity & Governance): Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure; Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections; Mechanisms, laws, and institutions for the protection of vulnerable sections.

• General Studies Paper 3 (Internal Security): Security challenges and their management in border areas.

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Key Highlights from the News

• Demand for Statehood vs. Sixth Schedule in Ladakh: There is a significant debate on whether Ladakh should be granted Statehood or included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

• Protesters' Arguments (Sajjad Kargili):

• Ladakh lost its political voice after becoming a Union Territory without a legislature in 2019, with administration fully in the hands of bureaucrats.

• The protection for land and employment provided by Article 370 was removed.

• The experience in Delhi shows that even a UT with a legislature is a failure. Therefore, full Statehood is needed, not the Sixth Schedule.

• Counter-Arguments (Rangarajan R.):

• Considering Ladakh's low population, more discussions are needed before granting Statehood.

• As a first step, inclusion in the Sixth Schedule is more logical. This would provide strong constitutional protection for land and tribal rights.

• However, the experience in North-Eastern states shows that the Sixth Schedule is not a complete solution and faces implementation challenges.

• Government promises like job reservations are merely executive orders and can be changed anytime. Protesters argue they need constitutional guarantees.

• The detention of protest leader Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) affects the credibility of discussions between the central government and the protesters.

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