Union Home Minister Amit Shah being received by Ladakh Lt Governor V. K. Saxena in Leh on Thursday.By TEHELKA WEB DESK
Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Leh on Thursday for a two-day visit to Ladakh, during which he is scheduled to attend the first-ever international exposition of the holy relics of Gautama Buddha.
He was received at the airport by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena and given a ceremonial welcome. Local MP Muhammad Haneefa, along with political, religious leaders and senior civil and police officials, were also present. Residents in traditional attire gathered outside the airport to greet the visiting minister.
During his visit, Shah will pay homage to the sacred relics of Buddha on the occasion of Buddha Purnima on Friday. He will also lay the foundation stone for a 10,000-litre-per-day capacity dairy plant in Kargil and participate in related programmes.
In a statement, the Lieutenant Governor said the visit would boost development efforts and inspire the administration to meet public aspirations in the region.
Ahead of his arrival, Shah described his participation in the exposition as a “moment of profound good fortune,” noting that devotees from across the world would gather to pay respect to the relics.
The visit comes shortly after the Centre approved the creation of five new districts in Ladakh—Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang—raising the total number of districts to seven. The move is aimed at improving governance and service delivery in remote areas.
Officials said the Home Minister is also expected to review administrative and security-related matters, including border management and development priorities, during meetings with local authorities and Indo-Tibetan Border Police officials.
The sacred Piprahwa relics were flown to Leh earlier this week by the Indian Air Force and received ceremonially by Buddhist leaders, including Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and Khenpo Thinlas Chosal of Matho Monastery.
The relics will be open for public viewing at Jivetsal from May 2 to 10, before being taken to Zanskar on May 11 and 12. They will return to Leh for display at the Dharma Centre from May 13 to 14 and are scheduled to be flown back to Delhi on May 15.
