NEW STATUS TAKES EFFECT
On Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir transitions from a full-fledged state with additional safeguards and special status to two Union territories – J&K with an elected legislative assembly and Ladakh without one. Here is how the governance and administration structure will change:
ADMINISTRATION
Instead of one governor for the entire state, J&K and Ladakh will now have two lieutenant governors — Girish Chandra Murmu and Radha Krishna Mathur
The model of governance will be similar to Puducherry, which has an elected assembly and chief ministers. The model for Ladakh will be akin to Andaman and Nicobar that is directly governed by an L-G.
The J&K cadre of administrative officers will likely end. The current crop of officers will continue functioning but all new recruitments shall be make from the AGMUT cadre
A three-member committee, led by former defence secretary Sanjay Mitra, is looking into the distribution of assets between the two new UTS. The panel has an initial term of six months, which may be extended.
All state government employees were given the choice of joining the administration of either UTS.
LEGISLATURE
The Upper House, the legislative council, will be abolished
The J&K assembly will be reconstituted after a delimitation of seats. The exercise shall be overseen by a commission headed by the Election Commission of India.
The delimitation exercise may re-draw the boundaries of some constituencies. The number of seats will rise from 87 to 107. 24 seats will be left vacant in the assembly to represent the areas occupied by Pakistan.
Seats will be reserved for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
Ladakh will have no elected assembly but two hill councils under the L-G: The Ladakh hill development council and the Kargil hill development council
The number of ministers shall be capped at 10. Perks to former chief ministers — house, car, high security — may be trimmed
According to the J&K Reorganisation Act, the CM will have to communicate to the L-G all decisions of the council of ministers, and furnish information related to the administration and proposals for legislation
LEGAL
New 108 laws will now be applicable in the UTS, the latest being the amended Motor Vehicles Act that hiked penalties for traffic offences
153 old state laws will be repealed within one year
The Ranbir Penal Code shall cease to exist, now only the IPC will be applicable
All government buildings shall stop flying the state flag and now only display the Tricolour. Earlier, most buildings – including the state secretariat in Srinagar – displayed both flags
10 statutory bodies, including the state human rights commission and information commission, will be dissolved
Bodies such as the SC commission, ST commission and minority commission will be set up in the UTS
The Srinagar high court will act as the common high court for both UTS
A number of independent bodies, such as the Waqf board, will now come under the central government