SRINAGAR: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has convened a crucial meeting of the High Powered Committee (HPC) on Ladakh for May 20 in New Delhi. The meeting will be chaired by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai and comes amid a prolonged deadlock between the Centre and Ladakh-based groups over key demands, Jammu based newspaper Daily Excelsior reported.
The formal invitation was issued by the MHA today and communicated to all stakeholders. Chering Dorjay Lakruk, co-chairman of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), confirmed receipt of the notice and said the LAB would respond after a joint meeting with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) in Kargil tomorrow.
The meeting comes after a gap of over four months since the last formal talks were held on January 15. A follow-up had been proposed for February 15 but never materialised, leading to growing discontent among LAB and KDA members.
The two bodies, which have spearheaded the demand for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, are pressing a four-point agenda: Statehood, Sixth Schedule status, a dedicated Public Service Commission (PSC), and two Parliamentary seats for the Union Territory.
A key sticking point has been the definition of domicile for government jobs. The MHA has reportedly proposed a 15-year residency requirement, similar to Jammu and Kashmir, while the LAB and KDA demand that only those residing in Ladakh since 1989 be considered domiciles. While there are indications the Centre may relax the timeline to 20 years, no official decision has been announced.
On the issue of local job reservations, the Centre is said to have proposed a formula where 80 per cent would be reserved for Scheduled Tribes, followed by smaller quotas for ALC, EWS, SCs and others — all under the domicile condition. Yet, no formal order has been issued.
Recruitment for non-gazetted posts has so far used the Ladakh Resident Certificate (LRC), modelled on the erstwhile State Subject of Jammu and Kashmir. However, there has been no forward movement on the other core demands, including Statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.
The matter of a dedicated PSC for Ladakh remains pending as well, with suggestions that the Jammu and Kashmir PSC or the UPSC might temporarily handle recruitments until Ladakh establishes its own commission.
The upcoming May 20 meeting follows a recent briefing by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Brig (Retd) BD Mishra to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, indicating renewed momentum on the issue. All eyes are now on the joint LAB-KDA meeting in Kargil, where a consolidated stance is expected ahead of the Delhi talks.
