Women get 33 pc quota in Hill Councils
*Next meeting fixed for Jan 15
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 3: In two major decisions, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs today announced 95 percent reservations in the Government jobs for the people of Ladakh who enjoy Scheduled Tribe (ST) status and 33 percent reservations for women in the Autonomous Hill Development Councils of Leh and Kargil.
A breakthrough on the Public Services Commission (PSC) has also been achieved, as exclusively reported by the Excelsior, and all ‘A’ Grade posts of Ladakh will be referred by the Union Territory administration to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for exclusive recruitment for Ladakh while a decision on ‘B’ Grade posts will be taken soon and it could be either separate PSC of the UT or the J&K PSC would be the agency to take the exams.
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Crucial issues like Statehood and Sixth Schedule status would be taken up in next meeting which has been scheduled for January 15, 2025. However, only Sub Committee members i.e. three each from Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) will be called to the January 15 meeting.
LAB co-chairperson Chering Dorjay Lakruk told the Excelsior on telephone from New Delhi that the High Powered Committee meeting which lasted nearly two hours this evening in the Union capital was positive and they are satisfied with outcome.
Lakruk, a former Minister in erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State, said the meeting chaired by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai agreed for 95 reservations to the people of Ladakh in both gazetted and non-gazetted cadre who have ST status.
“It was agreed upon in the meeting that all ‘A’ Grade posts including Medical and Engineering etc will be referred by the UT administration of Ladakh to the UPSC which will hold the recruitment exclusively for Ladakh with 95 percent posts reserved for Ladakhis having ST status,’’ Lakruk said.
However, as far as ‘B’ Grade posts are concerned, the decision was deferred to next meeting but it was decided that in this category also, 95 percent posts will be reserved for the locals with ST status.
“A decision on the recruitment agency for ‘B’ Grade posts will be taken up in the next meeting. It could be either a separate Public Services Commission for Ladakh or the PSC of Jammu and Kashmir can be assigned the task for recruitment,’’ the sources said.
The decision means local inhabitants of Ladakh will have 95 percent jobs in both gazetted and non-gazetted cadre. Majority of population in Ladakh is that of locals. However, there is around four percent population called Argoon Community which comprised the people from Kashmir who settled in Ladakh after marriages etc.
Yet another significant decision taken in the meeting include grant of 33 percent reservation to women in both Autonomous Hill Development Councils of Leh and Kargil.
Both the Councils have 30 seats each but the election is held for 26 seats while four Councilors are nominated by the UT administration with voting rights. Eight or nine seats on which the elections are held will be reserved for the women.
However, according to the sources, a clear picture in both the decisions pertaining to recruitment and reservation for women will emerge when the notifications are issued by the Union Home Ministry.
Elections to Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh are due in the August-September next year while elections to LAHDC Kargil were held in 2023 and will be due in 2028.
Women have 33 percent reservations in both Urban and Rural Local Bodies in Jammu and Kashmir. The Central Government has also extended 33 percent reservations to women in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly which will be applicable like the Parliament and other State/UT Assemblies after 2029.
Lakruk said next meeting of Ladakh representatives with the Home Ministry has been fixed for January 15 but it will not be the High Powered Committee (HPC) which met today but the Sub Committee meeting comprising three leaders each from LAB and KDA.
The Sub Committee includes Thupstan Chhewang, Chering Dorjay Lakruk and Nawang Rigzin Jora (LAB) and Qamar Ali Akhoon, Asgar Ali Karbalai and Sajjad Kargili (KDA).
Today’s HPC was chaired by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai and attended among others by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director Intelligence Bureau, Special Director IB, Joint Secretary Home Prashant Lokhande, Incharge J&K and Ladakh, MP Ladakh Mohammad Haneefa Jan, Tashi Gyalson and Mohammed Jaffer Akhoon, CECs of Leh and Kargil Hill Councils, Advisor to LG Ladakh Dr Pawan Kotwal and seven members each from LAB and KDA.
Gyalson also had a separate meeting with Rai in which he sought the Minister’s support in bringing holy relics of Buddha to Ladakh in the summer, inclusion of Bhoti as an official language of Ladakh and women’s reservation/representation in all elected and nominated bodies.
LAB and KDA have been agitating for four-point agenda including Statehood, Sixth Schedule status, dedicated PSC and two Parliamentary seats for Ladakh.
Earlier, the people of Leh had been demanding UT status for Ladakh, a demand which was fulfilled by the Centre on August 5, 2019 when special status of Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated and the State was bifurcated into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
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