AMN / NEW DELHI
President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the Jammu and KashmirReorganisation Act, 2019. A Gazette Notification to this effect was issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice today. The Parliament had passed the bill in the just-concluded session.
The Bill seeks to make Jammu and Kashmir a Union Territory with legislature and Ladakh Union Territory without legislature.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of section 2 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 (34 of 2019), the Central Government hereby appoints the 31st day of October 2019, as the appointed day for the purposes of the said Act,” a home ministry notification said.
Three days after the far-reaching decision to abrogate the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and bifurcate the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a nearly 40-minute televised address to the nation on Thursday, sought to assuage concerns of the people saying Jammu and Kashmir will not remain Union Territory for long.
“As Jammu and Kashmir will see more and more development, I do not think it will remain Union Territory for long. Ladakh will remain a Union Territory,” Modi said. According to the legislation, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will have a legislature like Puducherry and Ladakh will be a UT like Chandigarh, without legislature.
In both the Union Territories, key subjects such as law and order will be with the Centre.