New Rules Bring Relief to Ladakh: 85% Jobs for Locals, Women to Get One-Third Seats in Hill Councils

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 3rd June: In a significant move aimed at addressing long-standing demands of the people of Ladakh, the Central Government on Tuesday introduced new reservation and domicile rules for the Union Territory. The newly notified policies reserve 85% of government jobs for local residents and mandate one-third reservation for women in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs).

The decision comes amidst ongoing demands for constitutional safeguards to protect Ladakh’s unique language, culture, and land following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

According to official notifications, the new rules are effective immediately. As per the revised domicile criteria, an individual shall be considered a domicile of Ladakh if they have either:

Resided in the UT for at least 15 years, or

Studied in the UT for seven years and appeared in Class 10 or Class 12 examinations from an institution located in Ladakh.

Children of Central government employees, All India Services officers, and officials of PSUs, statutory bodies, public sector banks, Central universities, and recognised research institutes who have served in Ladakh for a cumulative period of 10 years are also eligible for domicile status.

The 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) remains unchanged.

In a separate notification amending the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act, 1997, the government announced that no less than one-third of the total seats in each Hill Council will be reserved for women. These seats will be allotted by rotation across territorial constituencies, based on the serial numbers notified in the official gazette.

The announcement marks a major step in addressing regional concerns. A high-level committee led by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, constituted in January 2023, held multiple rounds of discussions with Ladakhi representatives to resolve their demands amicably.

The issue gained national attention in October 2024 when prominent climate activist Sonam Wangchuk staged an indefinite fast in Delhi, demanding constitutional safeguards for Ladakh. Subsequent dialogues took place between civil society leaders and the Centre on December 3, 2024, January 15, and most recently on May 27, 2025.

The new policy framework is seen as a balancing act to preserve Ladakh’s cultural identity while integrating the region more fully into the national mainstream.