The Union Ministry of Home Affairs and representatives from Ladakh advocating for the safeguarding of rights for the native population have nearly finalised an agreement on job reservations for the local population in the UT, sources said on Wednesday.
Representatives from Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have held detailed negotiations with MHA’s designated high-powered committee, led by Joint Secretary for Kashmir and Ladakh Affairs, Prashant Lokhande, in New Delhi.
The meeting focused on securing safeguards for the natives of Ladakh.
As per the joint understanding, 95 per cent of jobs in Ladakh will be exclusively reserved for the local population, while 5 per cent will be open to those who have resided in the UT for at least 15 years.
The delegation representing MHA said, “For this purpose, domicile certificates will be issued to those meeting the 15-year residency requirement.”
“The domicile certificate will not confer any other rights,” sources clarified.
Of the 95 per cent reserved jobs, 80 per cent will be allocated to Scheduled Tribes, 1 per cent to Scheduled Castes, 10 per cent to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), and 4 per cent to residents living close to the Line of Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control (LoAC).
Sajjad Kargili, a prominent member of the KDA, said that their delegation strongly demanded a separate Assembly for Ladakh.
“Our Chief Executive Councillors firmly conveyed to the MHA representatives that we have no objection to the abolition of Hill Councils if the Union Territory is granted an Assembly,” he said.
The delegation also requested the establishment of a separate Public Service Commission (PSC) for Ladakh or empowering the Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission (PSC) to conduct job tests for gazetted posts.
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