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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: Residents of Ladakh will now have \u201cLadakh\u201d instead of \u201cJammu & Kashmir\u201d in their Aadhaar cards<\/a>, in what has been described as a “significant move” to uphold their regional identity. Despite the formation of Ladakh as a Union territory in 2019, after the region was carved out of Jammu and Kashmir, which was also made a Union territory, the Aadhaar records of its residents had continued to reflect the erstwhile state\u2019s name. According to a press release, lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena took serious note of the issue and directed the Ladakh administration to resolve it at the earliest. The administration subsequently took up the matter with the Unique Identification Authority of India<\/a> (UIDAI), the central body responsible for issuing Aadhaar cards. \u201cThe continued reflection of \u2018Jammu and Kashmir\u2019 in Aadhaar records of Ladakh residents had been causing considerable inconvenience. Residents faced difficulties in using the document as valid identity and address proof while availing various services, as the \u2018state\u2019 field did not correspond to Ladakh\u2019s post-reorganisation status,\u201d the release said. The issue also affected the proper representation of Ladakh in Aadhaar-linked records and progress reports. To address this, the administration and UIDAI devised an innovative mechanism to update the \u201cstate\u201d field centrally. Instead of requiring residents to individually visit Aadhaar centres, the updation was carried out using PIN codes specific to Ladakh. These were verified in coordination with the India Post and shared with UIDAI.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n