Leh:The much-awaited meeting of the High-Power Committee headed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityananda Rai with the representatives of Ladakh took place in Delhi on Tuesday. The meeting discussed several key regional aspirations for 95% reservation for Ladakhis in both gazetted and non-gazetted posts.
Giving details of the meeting, Chering Dorje Lakrook, Co-Chairman of the Leh Apex Body, claimed that a decision has been made at the meeting to address all the agenda items. Unemployment among youth was a key issue, and extensive discussions were held on this matter, he said, adding that there was a positive response on the demand for 95% reservation for Scheduled Tribes in both gazetted and non-gazetted posts in Ladakh, acknowledging that 95% of the population in the region belongs to STs.
Lakrook also said that in principle, they have agreed to discuss other agenda items in the next meeting and also discussed the demand for declaring Bhoti and Urdu as state languages.
He further elaborated, “For Grade A technical posts, such as engineering and medical roles, it was decided that these positions will be referred to the UPSC for recruitment, ensuring they are filled by qualified candidates who will then be posted in Ladakh. However, clarity is still lacking regarding Grade B positions, such as civil services and police. It was informed that decisions on these posts will be taken in the next meeting.”
Lakrook said that the next meeting is scheduled for January 15. "While this meeting was attended by the High-Powered Committee members, the upcoming one will include only the sub-committee members including three representatives from the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and three from the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA)," he said.
He said that the meeting also discussed the demand for reserving 33% of the seats in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) for women, marking a significant step towards gender empowerment.
Meanwhile, a PTI report said, quoting sources, that the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance met Union Minister Nityanand Rai in Delhi on Tuesday and discussed their demands for statehood, the Union Territory's inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the setting up of an exclusive public service commission for the region. It further said that the two organisations have also been demanding two Lok Sabha seats -- one for Kargil and one for Leh while the Union Territory currently has just one Lok Sabha seat -- Ladakh.
