Public Awareness & General Administration
Ladakh gets new policies on quota, domicile status
▪ The Government of India introduced new regulations for Ladakh to address longstanding
concerns from the local population regarding land, jobs, and cultural preservation.
▪ The regulations are a response to demands for increased autonomy and protection for the unique identity of Ladakh following its separation from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
New Regulations
▪ The government notified five key regulations on June 2 and 3, 2025.
▪ The Ladakh Civil Services Decentralization and Recruitment (Amendment) Regulation, 2025
✓ This introduces domicile requirements for government job recruitment.
✓ The domicile is defined as residents who have lived in Ladakh for 15 years or those who
completed their education in Ladakh.
▪ Domicile Certificate Rules
✓ The Ladakh Civil Services Domicile Certificate Rules, 2025, outline the process for obtaining a domicile certificate.
▪ Reservation Regulations
✓ The Union Territory of Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Regulation, 2025, caps job
reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and other
backward groups at 85%.
✓ This also extends to admissions in professional institutions, increasing the previous cap from
50% to 85%.
▪ Official Languages Recognition
✓ The Ladakh Official Languages Regulation, 2025, officially recognises English, Hindi, Urdu,
Bhoti, and Purgi.
✓ It mandates support for the preservation of local languages such as Shina, Brokskat, Balti,
and Ladakhi, denoting the importance of cultural identity.
▪ Women’s Representation in Councils
✓ The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Amendment) Regulation, 2025,
reserves one-third of council seats for women in the Leh and Kargil councils.
✓ This aims to enhance women’s participation in local governance.
Limitations of the Regulations
▪ They lack constitutional protection, which means they can be amended at any time by the Centre.
▪ There are no restrictions on land ownership by non-domiciles, raising concerns about external pressure on local resources
