By 
Srinagar, June 3 – In a major step to fulfill the long-pending demands of Ladakh’s residents, the Government of India has implemented new regulations concerning domicile eligibility, job reservations, and political representation in the Union Territory.
As per official notifications accessed by Rising Kashmir, these new policies are now in effect. Significantly, 85% of government jobs in Ladakh will be reserved for local residents.
The Centre has also amended the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act to reserve at least one-third of the seats for women in both Leh and Kargil councils. These reserved seats will rotate based on serial numbers published in the official gazette.
Under the revised domicile rules, individuals who have lived in Ladakh for 15 years or studied there for at least seven years and appeared in Class 10 or 12 board exams from a local school qualify as domiciles. Children of central government employees and PSU officials who have served in the region for 10 years will also be eligible.
The existing 10% quota for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) remains unchanged.
The new domicile certificates will only be valid for job recruitment in Ladakh and cannot be used for administrative or political purposes, as outlined in the Ladakh Civil Services Decentralisation and Recruitment (Amendment) Regulation, 2025.
Since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and Ladakh’s separation from Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory, locals have increasingly voiced concerns over the lack of legislative representation and direct control by the Union Home Ministry.
To address these concerns, the Centre formed a High-Powered Committee (HPC) in December 2023, led by MoS Nityanand Rai, to examine measures for protecting Ladakh’s cultural identity, job and land rights, and strengthening local governance.
Several rounds of discussions were held with civil society representatives, including key meetings in December 2024, January 2025, and May 27, 2025. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk also staged a hunger strike in Delhi in October 2024 to bring attention to these issues.
In a related administrative move, five new districts — Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang — were created in August 2024 to improve governance and accessibility across the remote regions of Ladakh.
