SRINAGAR: The Union Government and the leadership of Ladakh have reached an understanding on domicile requirements in the Union Territory.
The agreement on eligibility criteria for domicile status in Ladakh was finalised during a meeting chaired by Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, in New Delhi on Tuesday morning.
Both sides agreed a person must have resided in Ladakh for a continuous period of 15 years from 2019 onwards to qualify as a domicile.
Chief Executive Councillor of the Hill Council, Kargil, Dr Jaffar Akhoon, said the domicile issue has been settled for recruitment purposes.
“We strongly advocated for a 30-year continuous residency in Ladakh as the criterion for domicile status. We have been assured that this demand will be considered,” he said, adding that for now, 15 years of residency from 2019 onwards will determine eligibility for domicile.
He further said they requested the Centre not to extend the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (Civil) Services (DANICS) to Ladakh UT.
“We told them either a separate cadre should be created for Ladakh or it should be made part of the JK cadre or another neighbouring state,” he added.
Under the proposed arrangement, natives of Ladakh, former state subjects of Jammu and Kashmir residing in the districts of Leh and Kargil will retain exclusive rights over 95 percent of jobs. The remaining five percent will be open to domiciles. (KNO)
