Overview
- Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha approved the introduction of a PDP private member’s bill in the ongoing Jammu and Kashmir Assembly session.
- The proposal by MLA Waheed Para seeks separate divisional status for Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley and calls for 16 more districts across J&K, which currently has two divisions with 10 districts each.
- Para says the goal is to decentralise administration in mountain regions where residents travel long distances to reach divisional offices.
- The BJP dropped its earlier “Greater Kashmir” charge and now supports tabling the bill for debate, raising objections to the proposed division names and floating a Udhampur–Reasi division of its own.
- The National Conference remains cautious, citing a 2025 order that freezes boundary changes until 2027 and urging data-led steps tied to the Census and future delimitation, leaving passage uncertain for a private member’s bill.