Ladakh administration notifies Reservation (Amendment) Rules to restructure quotas in alignment with Central legislations

Leh/Jammu: The administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh on Sunday notified a fresh recruitment and reservation policy with the issuance of the Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Rules to restructure reservation quotas and recruitment procedures in alignment with the Central legislations.

"The administration has achieved a significant milestone in the recruitment and reservation policy with the issuance of the Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Rules, 2025, redressing the long-pending concern of the locals, especially the youth of Ladakh," said an official spokesperson.

The amendments are made in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 23 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, as amended by the Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Regulation, 2025, and come into force from the date of their publication in the official gazette.


Ladakh Chief Secretary Dr Pawan Kotwal said that these revised rules aim to update the legal terminology, restructure reservation quotas and streamline the roster and recruitment procedures in alignment with the Central legislations such as the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

As per the amended rule, reservation in direct recruitment includes one per cent for Scheduled Castes (SCs), 80 per cent for Scheduled Tribes (STs), four per cent for residents of areas adjoining the Actual Line of Control (ALC) and 10 per cent for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), he added.

Likewise, the horizontal reservations include six per cent for ex-servicemen and four per cent for persons with benchmark disabilities, with further division based on definitions under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

Michael D'Souza, the secretary of Ladakh's General Administration Department, informed the notification further amends the preparation of select lists to follow a structured, three-list approach ensuring transparency in unreserved and reserved selections, accommodation of horizontal reservations, merit-based seniority, conversion of unfilled EWS vacancies into unreserved slots and maintenance of backlog for unfilled reserved categories.

The notification also amends the roster maintenance and implementation system to a 100-point running roster that will be used for each service, cadre and grade, he said.

The notification further provides an elaborated understanding of reservation in promotions.

As per the amended Rule 9, the SCs will get one per cent and the STs will receive 84 per cent reservation in promotions.