India news: Government proposes elected body for Ladakh

Here is a roundup of some of the top headlines that are getting India talking on Thursday, September 10:

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More than 4 million affected by floods in Bihar

Several districts in the eastern state of Bihar have been hit by floods with several rivers flowing above the danger mark at multiple places, officials said on Wednesday.

More than 4 million people across 14 districts of Bihar have been affected by floods that were triggered by incessant rains over the last five days.

Among the affected districts were Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur and Begusarai.

"Incessant rain in various districts caused rivers and streams to overflow. Besides, heavy rainfall in catchment areas of Nepal has also led to rivers flowing above the danger level at several places," an official said, according to a report by Indian newspaper The New Indian Express.

Besides the Ganges, other rivers including Gandak, Kosi, Burhi Gandak, Punpun, Bagmati and Ghaghra are also flowing above the danger mark, officials said.

A total of 1,872 boats are currently being operated to facilitate evacuation and transportation, while around 29,400 dry ration packets and approximately 5,464 quintals of animal fodder have been distributed among flood-hit people.

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Delhi police deploys 15,000 personnel ahead of BRICS Summit

Delhi police have beefed up security in the capital ahead of the annual BRICS Summit taking place this weekend. The increase consists of around 15,000 personnel and 200 companies of paramilitary forces.

The police said that the security plan had been drawn up to provide maximum security to visiting dignitaries while ensuring minimum inconvenience to the public.

"We have made elaborate bandobast [police security] by ensuring minimum inconvenience to the public. We have also issued advance advisories regarding traffic arrangements," Special Commissioner of Police Manish Kumar Agrawal said, according to a report by Indian newspaper The Hindustan Times.

Agrawal said Delhi police are working in close coordination with multiple agencies for the summit.

"Intelligence inputs will be coordinated and shared among the agencies concerned," Agrawal said.

The BRICS Summit is scheduled to be held at Bharat Mandapam on September 12 and 13.

Indian government proposes legislative body for Ladakh

The Indian government has proposed a new Chapter K under Article 371 of the Constitution that will allow the formation of an elected body for the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh.

The proposal came in a meeting in Delhi with a delegation of Ladakh's civil society members.

The UT-level body will have legislative power over subjects relating to environment, land, culture, language and other subject matters reserved for the UT under Article 240, civil society members said in a statement, according to a report by Indian newspaper The Hindu.

However, Ladakh's civil society members said they "are not happy" with the meeting's proceedings, as the government repeated what was discussed in the last meeting held on May 22.

"We have not got a draft of the proposal yet," Leh Apex Body (LAB) co-chairman, Chering Dorje Lakruk, who attended the latest meeting in Delhi told DW, adding that the government has promised a draft in the next meeting, which is likely to be held by the second week of October.

While expressing his disappointment over the prolonged delay, Lakruk said, "The government is buying time."

India: Unrest brews in border region Ladakh over autonomy

The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the two main political groups in Ladakh, have held several rounds of talks with the government since 2019 — when Ladakh lost its special status under Article 370 and was turned into a Union Territory, which means that unlike earlier, it is now directly governed by the Indian central government in New Delhi.

Ladakh's special status gauranteed it constitutional safeguards to preserve its unique identity, land, jobs, and environment.

Since 2019,the LAB and KDA have been demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh.

Inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution will safeguard tribal lands, local employment, and the fragile Himalayan ecology from outside conglomerates.

The groups had called for a protest march on September 10, following which the government called a meeting in Delhi on September 10.

Hello! This is Midhat from DW's New Delhi bureau, bringing you the biggest headlines from India.

The Indian government has proposed the idea of forming an elected body for Kashmir's Union Territory of Ladakh, coming after years of protests and repeated demands for representation from civil society,

In Delhi, with just two days remaining before the annual BRICS Summit, commuters are already facing traffic disruptions as authorities imposed curbs on several routes.

Meanwhile, in the eastern state of Bihar, more than 4 million people remain affected by flooding.