Relevance (UPSC): GS-II – Polity & Governance (special provisions, Centre–UT relations), Internal Security (border administration)

Context :
Talks between the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ladakh’s civil groups—the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance—have resumed. Protesters ask for statehood, protection of land, jobs and culture, and stronger local self-government. The ministry has signalled openness to special provisions under Article 371.

Where Ladakh is today

• Since 2019, Ladakh is a Union Territory without a legislature, run by a Lieutenant-Governor; two Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Leh and Kargil) exist with limited powers.
  
• The region is strategic, ecologically fragile, and has a majority Scheduled Tribe population.
  

What Article 371 can offer Ladakh

Article 371 hosts bespoke clauses for specific regions (Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim, Kalyana-Karnataka, etc.). A new clause—371-L (illustrative)—could legally provide:

• Land safeguards: restrict transfer to non-residents; protect pastures and commons.
  
• Local employment preference: reservations and a Ladakh recruitment mechanism.
  
• Cultural protection: recognition of customary practices and languages.
  
• Stronger councils: clearer subjects, predictable funds, concurrence on key projects.
  Limit: Article 371 does not grant statehood; it crafts targeted protections.
  

Sixth Schedule vs Article 371 (quick contrast)

• Sixth Schedule: autonomous district councils with legislative/administrative powers (used in parts of the North-East).
  
• Article 371: flexible, clause-based safeguards for land, jobs, customs and institutions—can be tailored for Ladakh without creating Sixth Schedule councils.
  

A practical roadmap

1. Confidence steps: judicial inquiry into recent violence; interim land/job protections by Union Territory regulations; structured dialogue calendar.
   
2. Constitutional design: introduce a 371-L amendment for land, jobs, culture, ecology; parallel law to empower Hill Councils (planning, minor minerals, rangelands) with assured devolution.
   
3. Finance & administration: pool District Mineral Foundation, compensatory afforestation and border-area funds into a Ladakh Green & Heritage Fund; set transparent benefit-sharing with villages.
   
4. Ecology & livelihoods: declare glacier and pasture conservation zones; codify transhumant routes; promote cold-desert agriculture and responsible tourism with water-waste norms.
   

Key terms

Article 371: state/region-specific constitutional protections.
Sixth Schedule: autonomous district councils for select tribal areas.
Union Territory without legislature: administered by the Union through a Lieutenant-Governor.
Hill Development Councils: elected bodies for Leh and Kargil.

Exam hook

Use Ladakh to compare Article 371 with the Sixth Schedule, explain Union Territory governance, and show how land, jobs, culture and ecology can be safeguarded through a tailored clause.

Key takeaways

• Government has opened the Article 371 route; local groups still seek statehood/Sixth Schedule.
  
• A custom 371-L can protect land, employment, culture and environment, and strengthen councils—even without statehood.
  
• The aim is development with consent in a sensitive border desert.
  

UPSC Mains question

“Between statehood, the Sixth Schedule and Article 371, propose a constitutional design that best secures Ladakh’s identity, ecology and employment while preserving national control. Justify.”

UPSC Prelims question

Consider: (1) Article 371 clauses can restrict land transfer to outsiders; (2) The Sixth Schedule presently applies only to parts of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram; (3) A Union Territory can never receive protections under Article 371. Answer: 1 and 2 only.

One-line wrap: Craft a Ladakh-specific Article 371-L—protect land, jobs, culture and the cold-desert ecology—so peace and progress grow together on the frontier.