Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh Officially Become Union Territories

New Delhi, October 31, 2019:

The state of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday has been transformed into two new union territories.

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This is the first time that a state has been downsized to union territories from a state.

President Ram Nath Kovind revoked President''s rule imposed in the restive state.

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The announcement to this development was made on August 5 after the government revoked the special status to Kashmiris under Article 370 of the Constitution.

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Girish Chandra Murmu, Odia IAS officer took the oath as the first Lt. Governor of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Radha Krishna Mathur took oath as the first Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Ladakh.

The duo was administered the oath by Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Geeta Mittal.

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A 1985 batch IAS officer from Gujarat, Murmu served as expenditure secretary at the Centre.

Mathur, a retired 1977-batch IAS officer from Tripura cadre retired as the Chief Information Commissioner of India in November 2018 and served as expenditure secretary at the Centre.

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