Centre backtracking on draft agreed on May 22: Sonam Wangchuk

📌 Summary:

• Ladakh civil society leaders, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, alleged on June 1, 2026 that the Centre is backtracking from the May 22 sub-committee agreement

• The May 22 meeting had reportedly agreed to grant "supreme powers to elected representatives over bureaucracy" in the Union Territory of Ladakh

• The recently shared Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) draft is being described as "watered down" by civil society representatives

• The dispute reflects Ladakh's long-standing demand for Sixth Schedule protections, statehood, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil, and a dedicated Public Service Commission

• The High-Powered Committee/sub-committee mechanism was set up after the 2019 reorganisation of J&K and creation of Ladakh as a UT without legislature

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS Paper 2 — Federalism, Special Provisions for Union Territories, devolution of powers; reflects centre-region tensions in UTs without legislature.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Ladakh became a Union Territory without legislature on October 31, 2019 (Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019)

• Sixth Schedule covers tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram (Articles 244(2) and 275(1))

• Sonam Wangchuk leads the Apex Body of Leh; Kargil Democratic Alliance is the parallel body for Kargil

🔑 Key Term: Sixth Schedule — Constitutional provision creating Autonomous District Councils with legislative, judicial and executive powers to protect tribal autonomy.