SRINAGAR: The Union Government has clarified that there is no separate “home State” or exclusive quota for students from Ladakh at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Srinagar, stating that the institute already reserves 35 per cent of its seats for eligible candidates from both the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, as well as registered Kashmiri Migrants.
The clarification came in a written reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 356, raised by MP Mohmad Haneefa, who sought to know whether the Government had earmarked a separate share of seats for students domiciled in Ladakh following the bifurcation of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
Replying on behalf of the Ministry of Textiles, Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita said the existing admission policy already provides a 35 per cent Special Preferential Quota at NIFT Srinagar for domicile candidates from Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and registered Kashmiri Migrants.
The Minister said that no separate or exclusive quota has been created solely for candidates from Ladakh, as the current preferential quota covers eligible applicants from both Union Territories.
The parliamentary reply noted that the reservation has been designed to facilitate access to quality education in fashion design, textile design, apparel production, fashion management and other design-related disciplines for students from the region.
The question was raised against the backdrop of demands that a separate quota for Ladakh could encourage greater participation of students from Leh and Kargil in fashion, textile and design education and contribute to local skill development and value addition in the region’s traditional crafts and textile sector.
However, the Government indicated that it considers the existing arrangement adequate and did not announce any proposal to introduce a separate Ladakh-specific quota.
NIFT Srinagar is one of the campuses of the National Institute of Fashion Technology and caters to students from Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and other parts of the country through its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
