Srinagar: The Centre on Tuesday announced new reservation and domicile policies for Ladakh, reserving 85% jobs for locals and one-third of the total number of seats in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils for women.
Both Kargil Democratic Alliance (KBL) and Apex Body Leh (ABL), which are fighting for implementation of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in the Union Territory (UT), statehood, a separate public service commission and two Lok Sabha seats for Ladakh, welcomed the notifications as a welcome step in the right direction. They said dialogue for statehood and Sixth Schedule implementation will continue.
The Centre's multiple notifications aimed at safeguarding the local interests of people in Ladakh spelt out changes in policies for reservation in jobs, autonomous councils, domicile and languages.
One of the notifications on reservation specified that the total percentage of reservation for locals will not case exceed 85 per cent excluding economically weaker sections, for which it is 10 per cent. The new notifications also specified that those who have resided in Ladakh for a period of 15 years or studied for a period of seven years and appeared in class 10 or 12 examinations in an educational institution located in the UT shall be considered domicile of Ladakh for the purposes of appointment to any post under the UT or under a local or other authority other than cantonment board.
In another notification, the government said that in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act, 1997, not less than one-third of the total number of seats in the councils will be reserved for women and such seats may be allotted by rotation to different territorial constituencies. Besides making English, Hindi, Urdu, Bhoti and Purgi the official languages of Ladakh, the government said English will continue to be used for all official purposes of the UT for which it was being used before the date of commencement of this regulation.
"This is a satisfactory decision by the government of India and they have done as was discussed in the meetings with us. Now one chapter is closed and we have been assured that dialogue on other demands will start within a month," said Chering Dorjay Lakruk of ABL.
Kargil Democratic Alliance member Sajjad Kargili said, "Something is better than nothing. We now expect that a notification for jobs would be issued soon as well."
The ABL and KDA held a meeting with the Centre in the last week of May in Delhi and now they have been assured that another meeting will be slotted in the last week of June.
The two bodies were formed in Leh and Kargil after 2019, when Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union territory from Jammu and Kashmir to strive for the rights of the people across the region. They joined hands and held a series of protest meetings in Ladakh, Jammu and Delhi.
In December 2023, the Centre started talks with the two bodies which were stalled briefly and resumed after a series of protests the next year. Besides, in 2024, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk sat on a fast for several days demanding implementation of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in Ladakh to preserve its environment, culture and natural resources. His movement greatly helped the cause of ABL and KDA. In August 2024, the Centre created five new districts in Ladakh.
Both Kargil Democratic Alliance (KBL) and Apex Body Leh (ABL), which are fighting for implementation of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in the Union Territory (UT), statehood, a separate public service commission and two Lok Sabha seats for Ladakh, welcomed the notifications as a welcome step in the right direction. They said dialogue for statehood and Sixth Schedule implementation will continue.
The Centre's multiple notifications aimed at safeguarding the local interests of people in Ladakh spelt out changes in policies for reservation in jobs, autonomous councils, domicile and languages.
One of the notifications on reservation specified that the total percentage of reservation for locals will not case exceed 85 per cent excluding economically weaker sections, for which it is 10 per cent. The new notifications also specified that those who have resided in Ladakh for a period of 15 years or studied for a period of seven years and appeared in class 10 or 12 examinations in an educational institution located in the UT shall be considered domicile of Ladakh for the purposes of appointment to any post under the UT or under a local or other authority other than cantonment board.
In another notification, the government said that in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act, 1997, not less than one-third of the total number of seats in the councils will be reserved for women and such seats may be allotted by rotation to different territorial constituencies. Besides making English, Hindi, Urdu, Bhoti and Purgi the official languages of Ladakh, the government said English will continue to be used for all official purposes of the UT for which it was being used before the date of commencement of this regulation.
"This is a satisfactory decision by the government of India and they have done as was discussed in the meetings with us. Now one chapter is closed and we have been assured that dialogue on other demands will start within a month," said Chering Dorjay Lakruk of ABL.
Kargil Democratic Alliance member Sajjad Kargili said, "Something is better than nothing. We now expect that a notification for jobs would be issued soon as well."
The ABL and KDA held a meeting with the Centre in the last week of May in Delhi and now they have been assured that another meeting will be slotted in the last week of June.
The two bodies were formed in Leh and Kargil after 2019, when Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union territory from Jammu and Kashmir to strive for the rights of the people across the region. They joined hands and held a series of protest meetings in Ladakh, Jammu and Delhi.
In December 2023, the Centre started talks with the two bodies which were stalled briefly and resumed after a series of protests the next year. Besides, in 2024, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk sat on a fast for several days demanding implementation of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in Ladakh to preserve its environment, culture and natural resources. His movement greatly helped the cause of ABL and KDA. In August 2024, the Centre created five new districts in Ladakh.
