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The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday notified rules of a new reservation and domicile policy in the Union Territory of Ladakh in response to protests by political, religious and social groups since 2019.
According to the ministry’s notification, only those who have stayed in Ladakh continuously for 15 years, beginning in 2019, will qualify as domiciles in the Union Territory. This means that non-native persons living in Ladakh will be considered domiciled only after 2034.
In August 2019, the residents of Ladakh lost exclusive rights to own immovable property and get government jobs in the region. This was an outcome of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government’s decision to rescind the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and divide the state into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Along with the lack of a legislature in Ladakh, this led to increasing insecurities among the residents of Ladakh about their land, nature, resources and livelihoods and stoked fears that the region’s cultural identity and fragile ecosystem may be in jeopardy.
Due to this, the Union Territory has seen several protests over jobs and a lack of employment opportunities in the last five years.
The Union government on Tuesday also announced an 85% reservation for Scheduled Tribes in government jobs in Ladakh, addressing the fear that non-natives would corner employment opportunities. More than 97% of the population in the Union Territory belongs to Scheduled Tribes. Earlier, only 80% of government jobs were reserved for them.
Political, social and religious outfits in Ladakh have also been demanding the Union Territory’s inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution since 2020 to tackle the insecurities of residents after the abrogation of Article 370.
The Sixth Schedule under Article 244 (Administration of Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas) of the Constitution guarantees certain protections for land and a nominal autonomy for citizens in designated tribal areas.
Following several protests, the Union government in January 2023 formed a high-powered committee, led by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, to address the concerns of Ladakh residents.
However, the talks between the Centre and leaders from Ladakh broke down in March 2024.
In October, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk started an indefinite fast, demanding statehood for Ladakh, its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, job reservation for locals and two Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha seats for the region.
He ended his fast after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs assured him that talks would be resumed with representatives from Ladakh in December on a set of demands to protect the Union territory under constitutional provisions.
The Ministry of Home Affairs’ notification on Tuesday marks the culmination of the talks. It remains unclear if the leaders from Ladakh will continue to pursue their demand for the grant of Sixth Schedule status.
On Tuesday, the Centre also notified English, Hindi, Urdu, Bhoti and Purgi to be the official languages of the Union Territory.
For the first time ever, the Union government also reserved one-third of seats for women in the two autonomous hill councils of Ladakh.
The government of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state had established two autonomous hill councils in Ladakh in the mid-1990s and early 2000s for greater independence in the region’s development. The members of these hill councils are elected through direct vote.
This article first appeared on Scroll.in
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