Pariksha SaathiPM inaugurates five development projects worth about Rs 3,350 crore in Ladakh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and dedicated five development projects worth around Rs 3,350 crore in the Union Territory of Ladakh on 15 October 2026 via video conferencing: the new Rs 650 crore terminal of the Kushok Bakula Rinpoche Airport in Leh, which triples flight capacity, raises annual passenger handling from 10 lakh to 35 lakh and is India's first airport terminal to use geothermal heating alongside solar energy; the Rs 2,500 crore Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road, which cuts travel time from 12 hours to 3 hours; the Hanu hydroelectric project with its transmission network; India's first Petroglyph Conservation Park in Leh, to protect ancient rock art; and 40 new reservoirs built under Project Amrit Him Sarovar for irrigation. The Prime Minister listed Ladakh's gains since it became a Union Territory in 2019 (roads up from 1,800 km to over 4,000 km, major bridges from 19 to nearly 75, helipads from 7 to over 40, tap water coverage from 3.5% to nearly 99% of households), noted the approval in August 2026 of a High Court Bench for Ladakh and a Centre of Excellence being built in Leh with proposed satellite campuses of IIT Jammu and IIM Jammu, and thanked the Border Roads Organisation personnel and workers who executed the projects.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31 October 2019 under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which split the former state into two UTs. Unlike the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh has no legislature: it is administered by a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the President, and it has just two districts, Leh and Kargil. The Border Roads Organisation, which the release thanks, works under the Ministry of Defence and builds roads in border areas.
Reference: Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 on India Code
Check yourself: does the Union Territory of Ladakh have its own Legislative Assembly, like the UT of Jammu and Kashmir?
No. The 2019 Act created Jammu and Kashmir as a UT with a legislature and Ladakh as a UT without one; Ladakh is run by a Lieutenant Governor, and the President can make regulations for its governance.
Revision task: from this release, list the five projects (the new Leh airport terminal, the Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road, the Hanu hydroelectric project with its transmission network, the Petroglyph Conservation Park in Leh and the 40 Amrit Him Sarovar reservoirs) with the total outlay (about ₹3,350 crore) and the figures the release gives for each, and keep them separate from the standing facts about Ladakh’s constitutional status above.
Test yourself
According to the Prime Minister's address on 15 October 2026, the Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road dedicated in Ladakh cuts travel time from about 12 hours to how long?
Show the answer
Answer: 3 hours
The Rs 2,500 crore Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road cuts travel time from 12 hours to just 3 hours; the new Rs 650 crore Leh airport terminal is India's first with geothermal heating.
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