Ladakh's new domicile rules: Specific council reservations and 85% local job quota - all you need to know

NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday announced new reservation and domicile rules for the Union Territory of Ladakh, providing 85% job reservation for local residents and reserving one-third of the seats in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDC) for women.

The move is seen as a major step toward addressing the long-standing demands of Ladakhis for safeguards to protect their identity, culture, and land, following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

According to official notifications, the new rules take effect immediately.

Key highlights of the new rules:

Job reservation: 85% of jobs in Ladakh will be reserved for locals.

Domicile criteria:

• Anyone who has lived in Ladakh for 15 years, or

• Studied there for seven years and appeared in Class 10 or 12 exams within the UT, will qualify as a domicile.

• Children of central government employees, All India Services officers, PSU staff, and officials from autonomous bodies, public sector banks, central universities, and research institutes who have served in Ladakh for at least 10 years will also be eligible.

• Women’s reservation: At least one-third of the total seats in LAHDCs will now be reserved for women. These seats will rotate among different constituencies as per an official notification.

• EWS quota: The 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) will continue.

The decision follows months of protests and negotiations. In January 2023, the Centre formed a high-level committee led by minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai to address concerns raised by Ladakh’s civil society.

The committee held several rounds of talks with local representatives.

In October 2024, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite fast in Delhi to demand constitutional safeguards for Ladakh. His protest intensified national attention on the region’s issues.

Subsequent discussions were held with civil society leaders on December 3, 2024, January 15, 2025, and most recently on May 27.

These policy changes are expected to play a key role in protecting the region’s unique cultural and demographic identity.