LEH: Union Government and the leadership of Ladakh have reached an understanding on domicile requirements in the Union Territory.
The agreement on eligibility criteria for domicile status in Ladakh was finalised during a meeting chaired by Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, in New Delhi on Tuesday morning.
Both sides agreed a person must have resided in Ladakh for a continuous period of 15 years from 2019 onwards to qualify as a domicile.
Chief Executive Councillor of the Hill Council, Kargil, Dr Jaffar Akhoon, said the domicile issue has been settled for recruitment purposes.
“We strongly advocated for a 30-year continuous residency in Ladakh as the criterion for domicile status. We have been assured that this demand will be considered,” he said, adding that for now, 15 years of residency from 2019 onwards will determine eligibility for domicile.
He further said they requested the Centre not to extend the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (Civil) Services (DANICS) to Ladakh UT.
“We told them either a separate cadre should be created for Ladakh or it should be made part of the JK cadre or another neighbouring state,” he added.
The meeting was attended by top dignitaries including Dr. Pawan Kotwal, Chief Secretary of Ladakh; Member of Parliament Mohmad Haneefa Jan; and the Chief Executive Councillors of Leh and Kargil—Advocate Tashi Gyalson and Dr. Mohd Jaffer Akhoon. Senior members from both LAB and KDA, along with officials from the Intelligence Bureau and the Law Department, participated in detailed deliberations that focused primarily on domicile eligibility and job recruitment policies.
Chief Executive Councillor of LAHDC Leh, Advocate Tashi Gyalson, echoed similar sentiments. He emphasized that the outcome of the meeting reflects the Government of India’s deep understanding of the sentiments and challenges faced by the people of Ladakh.
He remarked that this milestone reflects a genuine willingness from the Centre to work collaboratively and constructively toward Ladakh’s socio-political and economic development.
The high-level meeting, which began around 10:30 AM, focused on outlining clear eligibility criteria for domicile issuance and accelerating government job recruitment across both gazetted and non-gazetted categories.
These have been among the most pressing demands from Ladakh’s civil society, especially among the educated and unemployed youth.
Under the proposed arrangement, natives of Ladakh, former state subjects of Jammu and Kashmir residing in the districts of Leh and Kargil will retain exclusive rights over 95 percent of jobs. The remaining five percent will be open to domiciles.
