Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on October 16 announced the creation of Sankoo as the eighth district of the Union Territory of Ladakh, along with five new tehsils, marking a significant step towards administrative decentralisation and improving access to public services.

The announcement comes less than six months after the creation of five new districts—Changthang, Drass, Nubra, Sham and Zanskar. With Sankoo becoming the eighth district, the administration aims to make governance more accessible and responsive to the needs of people across Ladakh.

Carved out of the existing Kargil district, Sankoo will comprise the tehsils of GM Pore, TSG and Taisuru. The decision fulfils a long-standing demand of the region's residents and is expected to improve administrative coordination, facilitate access to government services and strengthen public participation in governance.

Saxena attended a large gathering in Sankoo to celebrate the announcement, where residents expressed gratitude to the Central Government and the Lieutenant Governor for fulfilling their long-standing demand for a separate district.
Addressing the gathering, the Lieutenant Governor said the decision aligned with the vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

“The creation of Sankoo district fulfils a long-standing aspiration of the people of the area and marks another important step towards bringing administration closer to citizens.

Our objective is to ensure that people in every part of Ladakh can access government services more easily and that the benefits of development reach every village and household,” Saxena said.

He expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister for their continued support for Ladakh's development.

The Lieutenant Governor also assured the gathering that the administrative requirements arising from the creation of the new district would be addressed at the earliest and that necessary appointments would be made soon to ensure its effective functioning.

In another significant decision, Saxena announced the creation of five new tehsils across Ladakh:
•    Aryan Valley (Sham district): Dha-Beema, Hanu, Garkone and Darchiks.
•    Sodh (Kargil district): Yourbaltak, Akchamal, Apatee, Tumail, Barchey, Silmoo, Lalung and Chulichan.
•    Phey (Zanskar district): Rangdum, Phey, Emala-Shagan, Hamiling, Abran, Akshow, Atting, Rantaksha and Tungri.
•    Thasgam (Drass district): Thasgam, Jasgund, Kharboo and Shimsha.
•    Hemya (Changthang district): Tukla, Liktse, Tarchit, Kungyam, Teri and Hemya.

The new tehsils are expected to improve the reach of administrative institutions and facilitate access to essential public services, particularly for residents of remote and far-flung areas.

Earlier, on July 12, the Lieutenant Governor had announced the creation of 17 new tehsils as part of Ladakh's broader administrative reorganisation. With the addition of the five newly announced tehsils, the total number of tehsils in the Union Territory has increased to 37.

The Lieutenant Governor said the ongoing reorganisation was aimed at operationalising the newly created districts, improving administrative efficiency and ensuring that citizens could access government services closer to home. The initiative seeks to make governance more responsive, inclusive and citizen-centric across Ladakh.