{"id":"in-ladakh","country":"in","kind":"ut","name":{"en":"Ladakh","local":"ལ་དྭགས།"},"languages":["sbu","hi","en","ur"],"currency":"INR","symbol":"₹","fxPerUsd":94,"cities":{"T1":"Leh","T2":"Kargil","T3":"Diskit (Nubra)"},"basket":{"teaCup":20,"simpleMeal":150,"haircutMen":150,"milkLitre":70,"breadLoaf":60,"unskilledDayWage":800,"minWageMonthly":11700,"shopRentSqftMonth":{"T1":150,"T2":50,"T3":30},"electricityCommercialKwh":5,"lpgCommercialCylinder":3150,"petrolLitre":110.01},"tax":{"salesTax":"GST 5/18% (national, UTGST)","smallBizThreshold":"₹40 lakh goods / ₹20 lakh services (verify)","localLevies":"No professional tax; tourist environment/permit fees"},"licences":[{"name":"Shops & Establishments registration (J&K 1966 Act as adapted)","fee":"nominal (Est.)","authority":"Labour Department, UT Ladakh","source":"Est.: post-2019 adaptation"},{"name":"Tourism trade registration (guesthouse, travel agent, taxi)","fee":"by category (Est.)","authority":"Department of Tourism, Ladakh","source":"Est.: Ladakh tourism rules"}],"festivals":[{"name":"Ladakhi Losar","dates2026_27":"about mid-Dec 2026","effect":"family new year; shops shut a few days in off-season"},{"name":"Diwali (Dhanteras 6 Nov, Lakshmi Puja 8 Nov, Bhai Dooj 11 Nov)","dates2026_27":"6–11 Nov 2026","effect":"sweets, gifts, clothing, salon and kirana demand 1.5–3× in the run-up; most small shops shut or half-day on Diwali itself"},{"name":"Muharram / Ashura (Kargil)","dates2026_27":"about mid-Jun 2027","effect":"Kargil markets shut on Ashura"},{"name":"Hemis Tsechu","dates2026_27":"about late Jun 2027","effect":"tourist peak in Leh"},{"name":"Ladakh Festival","dates2026_27":"Sep 2027","effect":"end-of-season tourist event (cancelled 2025)"}],"seasons":[{"months":"May–Sep","what":"Tourist season: most annual revenue"},{"months":"Nov–Apr","what":"Roads closed, −20 °C, many shops shut"}],"payments":{"digitalShare":"Leh 50–65% in season, villages 20–35% (Est.)","credit":"off-season udhaar among locals; tourists pay cash/UPI"},"notes":"Ladakh is a five-month economy. Leh shops, guesthouses and cafés earn most of the year between May and September, then many close when the Zojila and Manali–Leh roads shut. Everything is trucked in, so LPG, milk and bread cost more and stock must be laid in before winter. Labour is seasonal and scarce, paid well above the ₹450/day floor (the UT now pays its own daily wagers ₹575). Power is cheap but unreliable. The Sept 2025 Leh violence (curfew, internet cut, festival cancelled, vendor sales down up to 75%) shows political unrest is a real risk alongside weather. Kargil is Shia-majority with a different calendar.","factors":[{"id":"P01","cat":"Wages","name":"Minimum wage, unskilled (Ladakh)","value":"₹450/day (≈₹11,700/month at 26 days); listed from 2 Nov 2022","role":"HV","source":"https://wageindicator.org/en-in/ai/work-in-india/minimum-wage/17699-jammu-kashmir/42212-ladakh/","estimate":false},{"id":"P02","cat":"Wages","name":"UT daily-wager rationalisation 2026","value":"LG approved ₹575/day for daily, part-time and seasonal workers engaged by the UT administration (from ₹450)","role":"HV","source":"https://www.etvbharat.com/en/bharat/lg-saxena-approves-major-wage-rationalisation-reforms-for-daily-wagers-in-ladakh-enn26051703102","estimate":false},{"id":"P03","cat":"Wages","name":"Code on Wages (Ladakh) Rules 2026","value":"Notified 3 Aug 2026 (S.O. 231), in force 10 Aug 2026; 8-hour day, weekly paid rest; technical committee to reclassify skills","role":"HV","source":"https://teamleaseregtech.com/updates/article/58620/code-on-wages-ladakh-rules-2026","estimate":false},{"id":"P04","cat":"Wages","name":"Typical shop helper pay (summer season)","value":"₹15,000–20,000/month plus lodging for May–Sep; most helpers are seasonal migrants (Nepal, Bihar, Himachal)","role":"HV","source":"Est.: short season and high living costs; labour leaves in winter","estimate":true},{"id":"P05","cat":"Wages","name":"Casual daily labour rate","value":"₹800/day in season","role":"HV","source":"Est.: seasonal scarcity; well above the ₹450 floor","estimate":true},{"id":"P06","cat":"Rent","name":"Shop rent by tier","value":"T1 Leh Main Bazaar ₹150; T2 Kargil ₹50; T3 Diskit (Nubra) ₹30 per sq ft/month; many leases priced per season","role":"HV","source":"Est.: tourist-season leases in Leh are steep; no published data","estimate":true},{"id":"P07","cat":"Energy","name":"Commercial electricity","value":"about ₹5.0/kWh","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Ladakh Power Development Dept tariffs (JERC) are low/subsidised; no 2026–27 schedule found","estimate":true},{"id":"P08","cat":"Energy","name":"Power reliability","value":"Winter outages and voltage dips; Leh shops rely on diesel gensets and solar","role":"RE","source":"Est.: grid link via Srinagar–Leh line since 2019; local hydro output falls in winter","estimate":true},{"id":"P09","cat":"Energy","name":"Commercial LPG 19 kg (Leh)","value":"about ₹3,150","role":"HV","source":"Est.: J&K state price ₹2,951.50 (https://www.goodreturns.in/lpg-price.html) plus ~₹200 road freight over Zojila; stocked before winter","estimate":true},{"id":"P10","cat":"Energy","name":"Petrol (Ladakh)","value":"₹110.01/litre (25 Oct 2026)","role":"HV","source":"https://www.goodreturns.in/petrol-price.html","estimate":false},{"id":"P11","cat":"Prices","name":"Milk","value":"about ₹70/L (packet milk trucked in; local supply small)","role":"HV","source":"Est.: plains price ₹58–65 plus freight","estimate":true},{"id":"P12","cat":"Prices","name":"Cup of tea, T2","value":"₹20 (butter tea/gur-gur cha in local homes; ₹30–50 in Leh cafés)","role":"HV","source":"Est.: tourist pricing","estimate":true},{"id":"P13","cat":"Prices","name":"Simple meal, T2","value":"₹150","role":"HV","source":"Est.: thali/thukpa ₹120–200 in Leh; Kargil slightly lower","estimate":true},{"id":"P14","cat":"Prices","name":"Men's haircut","value":"₹150","role":"HV","source":"Est.: few barbers, mostly migrant-run","estimate":true},{"id":"P15","cat":"Prices","name":"Bread loaf 400 g","value":"₹60","role":"HV","source":"Est.: trucked in; Ladakhi khambir bread ₹10–20 locally","estimate":true},{"id":"P16","cat":"Licences","name":"Shops & Establishments","value":"J&K Shops & Establishments Act 1966 as adapted for Ladakh; registration with Labour Dept","role":"PD","source":"Est.: post-2019 UT adaptation orders","estimate":true},{"id":"P17","cat":"Licences","name":"Tourism trade registration","value":"Guesthouses, homestays, travel agents and taxis register with Ladakh Tourism; taxi unions control routes","role":"PD","source":"Est.: Ladakh tourism registration rules","estimate":true},{"id":"P18","cat":"Licences","name":"Inner Line Permit for visitors","value":"Needed for Nubra, Pangong, Tso Moriri; protected-area permit fee plus environment fee per tourist","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Leh district permit system","estimate":true},{"id":"P19","cat":"Tax","name":"Professional tax","value":"None","role":"HV","source":"Est.: no PT statute applied in Ladakh","estimate":true},{"id":"P20","cat":"Tax","name":"GST thresholds","value":"National: goods ₹40 lakh, services ₹20 lakh (UTGST)","role":"PD","source":"Est.: same as J&K before 2019; verify","estimate":true},{"id":"P21","cat":"Rules","name":"Plastic ban","value":"Leh bans polythene bags and plastic bottles in many outlets; refill stations promoted","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Leh Hill Council orders","estimate":true},{"id":"P22","cat":"Rules","name":"Domicile and land","value":"Ladakh domicile rules (2025) and Hill Council land rules restrict outsiders buying land; businesses lease from locals","role":"HV","source":"Est.: 2025 Ladakh reservation and domicile regulations","estimate":true},{"id":"P23","cat":"Festivals","name":"Ladakhi Losar (new year)","value":"about mid-Dec 2026 (lunar); home celebrations, shops close a few days","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Ladakhi Losar is in the 11th Tibetan month","estimate":true},{"id":"P24","cat":"Festivals","name":"Hemis Tsechu","value":"about late Jun 2027: biggest monastery festival, tourist peak","role":"HV","source":"Est.: lunar calendar","estimate":true},{"id":"P25","cat":"Festivals","name":"Ladakh Festival","value":"September; cancelled in 2025 after Leh violence","role":"HV","source":"Est.: https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!bharat/ladakhs-lifeline-hit-as-unrest-marks-first-major-upheaval-in-38-years-enn25100104944","estimate":true},{"id":"P26","cat":"Festivals","name":"Muharram (Kargil, Shia majority)","value":"about mid-Jun 2027: Kargil markets shut on Ashura","role":"HV","source":"Est.: lunar calendar","estimate":true},{"id":"P27","cat":"Seasons","name":"Tourist season","value":"May–Sep: Leh earns most of its annual revenue in ~5 months; Oct–Apr many shops close","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Srinagar–Leh and Manali–Leh roads open roughly Apr/May–Nov","estimate":true},{"id":"P28","cat":"Seasons","name":"Winter isolation","value":"Nov–Apr: Zojila and Manali–Leh roads close (Atal tunnel and Zojila tunnel works shortening closures); −20 °C; air freight only","role":"HV","source":"Est.: BRO road calendars","estimate":true},{"id":"P29","cat":"Payments","name":"UPI national share","value":"86.8% of retail volume","role":"HV","source":"https://www.outlookbusiness.com/amp/story/news/upi-emerges-as-dominant-retail-payment-system-with-transaction-volume-share-at-87-careedge","estimate":false},{"id":"P30","cat":"Payments","name":"Digital share","value":"Leh 50–65% in season; villages 20–35% (Est.); weak networks outside Leh","role":"HV","source":"Est.: patchy connectivity","estimate":true},{"id":"P31","cat":"Economy","name":"Per-capita NSDP","value":"₹2,42,360 (2023–24), near India's average","role":"HV","source":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_states_and_union_territories_by_GDP_per_capita","estimate":false},{"id":"P32","cat":"Economy","name":"Urbanisation and population","value":"about 2.7 lakh people; Leh ~34% urban, Kargil ~10% (Census 2011)","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Census 2011 district data (https://censusindia.gov.in/census.website/data/census-tables)","estimate":true},{"id":"P33","cat":"Language","name":"Languages","value":"Ladakhi (Bhoti) and Purgi with Hindi/English; Urdu legacy in Kargil","role":"HV","source":"Est.: 2025 Ladakh official-language regulation adds Bhoti and Purgi","estimate":true},{"id":"P34","cat":"Risks","name":"Political unrest and curfew","value":"24 Sep 2025 statehood/Sixth Schedule protest turned violent: 4 killed, curfew and internet cut in Leh for ~a week; Ladakh Festival cancelled","role":"RE","source":"https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!bharat/ladakhs-lifeline-hit-as-unrest-marks-first-major-upheaval-in-38-years-enn25100104944","estimate":false},{"id":"P35","cat":"Risks","name":"Post-curfew footfall slump","value":"Two weeks later Leh vendors reported business down up to 75%","role":"RE","source":"https://www.newslaundry.com/2025/10/10/2-weeks-after-violence-leh-struggles-to-return-to-normalcy","estimate":false},{"id":"P36","cat":"Risks","name":"Pahalgam spillover","value":"Kashmir security events cut Ladakh bookings (2025 precedent)","role":"RE","source":"Est.: https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!bharat/ladakhs-lifeline-hit-as-unrest-marks-first-major-upheaval-in-38-years-enn25100104944","estimate":true},{"id":"P37","cat":"Risks","name":"Road blockade / flash flood","value":"Cloudbursts (Leh 2010) and snow closures strand supply","role":"RE","source":"Est.: ~5%/yr","estimate":true}]}