Leh: The Union Territory Administration of Ladakh has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for creation of Ladakh Administrative Services, which will include three cadres—Administrative, Police and Forest.
Official sources confirmed that posts in all three categories have been identified and a combined proposal has been sent to the MHA.
The Ministry will now examine the proposal and take a final call on the number of posts to be sanctioned.
At present, Ladakh functions under a joint cadre with Jammu and Kashmir. Officers from the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) and Jammu and Kashmir Police Service (JKPS) are currently posted here, with J&K retaining control over transfers and postings under the J&K Reorganisation Act.
“As soon as the proposal is cleared by the MHA, the process of recruitment will be taken up by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC),” reported Daily Excelsior quoting officials.
The decision to route Ladakh’s recruitment through UPSC was taken earlier after consultations between the MHA, UT administration and representatives of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).
However, officials declined to commit to a timeline for clearance of the proposal, stating that the Ministry is still studying the details. The exact breakup of posts across civil, police and forest administration will also be made public only after approval.
Meanwhile, the UT Administration has already moved ahead with recruitment for several other gazetted posts, finalising rules on reservation and domicile requirements.
On the political front, there has been no fresh communication between the MHA and Ladakh’s leadership even after the recent three-day strike called by LAB and KDA in Kargil. Sources said neither a formal invitation nor even informal outreach has been made by the Ministry so far.
The LAB has announced that no protests will be organised until August 26 in view of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s ongoing visit to Ladakh. The twin bodies will decide on future action only after his return.
The last round of talks between the MHA and LAB-KDA was held on May 27 in New Delhi during a meeting of the High Powered Committee (HPC) chaired by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, where issues of reservation and domicile were resolved. A follow-up meeting was expected within a month but has not taken place even after two and a half months.
Both LAB and KDA have consistently reiterated their larger demands of Statehood for Ladakh, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, and two Lok Sabha seats for the region.
