Leh, Dec 20: The Union Territory of Ladakh has suggested increasing the number of officers in its Administrative and Police Services. A detailed proposal has been sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for approval. Ladakh has proposed a total strength of one hundred ninety-four officers for Administrative Services and fifty-four officers for Police Services. At present, Ladakh has one hundred seventy-three administrative officers and only twenty-six police officers, so the proposed increase is quite significant.
Now the final decision rests with the Ministry of Home Affairs. The ministry has to approve the new number of posts and also decide whether Ladakh will have its own local services or become part of the existing central services system. The central services are known as Delhi Andaman and Nicobar Island Civil Service and Delhi Andaman and Nicobar Island Police Service, which are followed by most Union Territories in the country.
Currently, only Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry have their own separate administrative and police services. All other Union Territories are part of the central services system. Earlier, there were signs that Ladakh might also be included in these central services. However, this idea has been strongly opposed by local groups such as the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance. These groups want Ladakh to have its own Administrative and Police Services similar to Jammu and Kashmir.
The main reason for this opposition is reservation. Ladakh follows local reservation rules, under which eighty-five percent of government jobs are reserved for local residents. On the other hand, the central services follow national reservation rules, which provide less opportunity for locals. If Ladakh joins the central services, fewer local people may be able to get government jobs. This concern is one of the major reasons why the Ministry of Home Affairs has not yet taken a final decision.
Officials say that the ministry must decide both the number of posts and the type of service structure at the same time. This has caused further delay. However, the rules for Financial Services in Ladakh have already been prepared by the local administration, and these posts will be filled through promotions within the department.
At present, many officers from Jammu and Kashmir are working in Ladakh on deputation. These officers usually serve for two to three years before being transferred. Apart from these officers, some other officials from Jammu and Kashmir are also posted in Ladakh to meet administrative needs.
Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir were once part of the same state. On August fifth, two thousand nineteen, the central government divided the former state into two separate Union Territories and removed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to an understanding reached between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance, most government posts in Ladakh would be reserved for Scheduled Tribes. Additional reservation would be given to people living near the Actual Line of Control or Line of Control and to Scheduled Castes. Reservation for Economically Weaker Sections would continue as earlier.
Under the existing rules followed in Jammu and Kashmir, if suitable candidates are not found in any reserved category during recruitment, those posts remain vacant and are carried forward to the next recruitment process instead of being filled by other categories.
The most recent meeting between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ladakh groups was held on October twenty-second in New Delhi. After the meeting, the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance submitted a detailed document to the Home Ministry. In this document, they demanded statehood for Ladakh, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, and raised several other related issues.
