Recent Current Affairs related to Ladakh

Vinai Kumar Saxena, the Lt Gov of Ladakh, has been given the additional charge of Jammu & Kashmir by President Droupadi Murmu.

The DRDO has successfully tested the indigenous high-altitude Military Combat Parachute System (MCPS) at the Nyoma-Mudh Drop Zone in Leh, Ladakh. The test involved safe jumps from an altitude of 22,000 feet above sea level at a temperature of -15°C to validate special operations capabilities.

The MCPS was designed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Uttar Pradesh, while the integrated life-support systems were developed by the Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory (DEBEL) in Bengaluru.

The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of a permanent bench of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

The initiative aims to enhance access to justice for people residing in the remote regions of the UT.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh has flagged off the All India Girls High Altitude Long Trek Aparajita - Parang La 2026, a flagship adventure activity of the National Cadet Corps (NCC), in New Delhi.

The trek will traverse the Parang La Pass, which connects the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh with the Changthang region of Ladakh. The expedition team, comprising 28 Girl Cadets with an average age of 19 years, will be led by three women officers representing the three defence services.

Dr Padma Gurmet has been conferred the Ladakh State Award for the year 2025 in recognition of his contributions to the preservation, promotion, and development of the Sowa-Rigpa system of medicine.

The Government of India (GoI) is launching its first-ever high-altitude wildlife safari in the Union Territory of Ladakh. This initiative aims to promote sustainable eco-tourism, curb illegal off-roading, and safeguard the rare wildlife of the region, including the snow leopard.

The safari will cover multiple wildlife-rich sanctuary landscapes, specifically including the Hemis National Park (the largest national park in South Asia), the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary.

The administration of the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh, with the approval of Lt Gov Vinai Kumar Saxena, has notified 23 heritage sites as Protected Monuments. The designated monuments are distributed across the regions of Leh, Sham, Nubra, Zanskar, and Kargil.

VK Saxena, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, has commissioned India's first and deepest two 1,000-metre geothermal wells at Puga Valley, Ladakh. These wells, executed by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) Energy Centre, are critical for the 1 Megawatt (MW) Pilot Geothermal Power Plant.

This project is India's first demonstration-scale geothermal power project situated at an altitude of over 14,000 feet. It is to be noted that the wells reached a maximum temperature of 135°C at a depth of 400m.

Vinai Kumar Saxena, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, has approved the formation of the ‘Snow Leopard and High-Altitude Nature’ (SHAN) Conservation Society to protect the endangered snow leopard and its habitat. This is the first initiative of its kind in the region.

It is to be noted that according to the ‘2024 Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India’, there are 718 snow leopards in the country, with 477 of them located in Ladakh.

Vinod Saxena, the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Ladakh, has approved a 5-year extension of the MoU with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for the development of the first geothermal power project in India.

Under the agreement, the ONGC will construct a 1 MWe pilot geothermal power plant in the Puga Valley of eastern Ladakh, at an altitude of over 14,000 ft.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) has signed reform-linked MoUs with Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Tripura, Mizoram, and Ladakh under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0.

The MoUs establish a framework for decentralized governance by empowering Gram Panchayats and Village Water & Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) to oversee the operation and management of in-village water supply systems.

The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh has officially notified the creation of 5 new districts in the Union Territory: Nubra, Sham, Changthang, Zanskar, and Drass.

This follows the preliminary approval granted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in 2024. With this, the total number of districts in the UT has increased from 2 to 7. It is to be noted that the region previously consisted of only the Leh and Kargil districts.

The Indian Army has conducted an Advanced Surgical Eye Camp named ‘Op Netra 1.0’ at the 153 General Hospital in Leh, Ladakh. The camp, inaugurated by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 14 Corps Lieutenant General Hitesh Bhalla, served as a significant instance of civil-military cooperation.

A surgical team led by Brigadier (Dr) Sanjay Kumar Mishra performed 214 specialized procedures, while 950 patients from 7 districts across the Ladakh region were screened. Additionally, the hospital launched an indigenous platform named ‘Op Netra’ App to support the medical operation.