HS to take up recruitment issue with UPSC
*Mohan calls for tourism promotion
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 1: Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan has reportedly directed the administration of Ladakh to complete the process for recruitment of Gazetted Officers and assured that he will take up the issue with the UPSC Chairman for special recruitment drive as the Commission has finalized its recruitment schedule for the current year.
Recruitment for Gazetted Officers couldn’t be taken up in Ladakh since it was made the UT due to delay in finalization of reservation rules and issue of domicile which were settled in last meeting of the Ministry of Home Affairs with Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) in New Delhi on May 27.
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Meanwhile, immediately after review of Gazetted Officers’ recruitment by the Home Secretary, who returned to New Delhi today after two-day visit, the UT administration of Ladakh announced five years age relaxation for Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ gazetted cadre posts.
As per the notification issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), five years age relaxation will be applicable to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes namely Residents of Areas Adjoining the Actual Line of Control (ALC) and 10 years (General) and 15 years (SC, ST and ALC) in respect of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD).
“As a one-time special dispensation, an additional relaxation of five years in the age limit will be given to all unreserved and reserved categories in various Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ gazetted posts for the recruitment to be conducted during the years 2025 and 2026. This relaxation will be available to all candidate including those belonging to unreserved and reserved categories. The total relaxation shall, however, be subject to the condition that maximum age of the candidate shall not exceed 56 years on the crucial dates. Accordingly, candidates who become eligible only after the grant of this special age relaxation shall also be deemed eligible for direct recruitment,” the GAD notification said.
Sources said the age relaxation was given as no recruitment to gazetted posts was conducted in Ladakh since it became the Union Territory on August 5, 2019 in the absence of reservation rules and domicile though the Recruitment Rules were released earlier.
Presently, Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) and Jammu and Kashmir Police Services (JKPS) besides other officers are posted in Ladakh on deputation basis since August 5, 2019 when Ladakh was made separate UT after bifurcation from erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.
Chairman-cum-CEC of Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council Tashi Gyalson during his meeting with Govind Mohan took up the issue of gazetted officers’ recruitment as the UPSC has already finalized its calendar for the current years.
Gyalson told the Excelsior that the Union Home Secretary assured him that on reaching New Delhi he will take up the issue with the UPSC Chairman for special recruitment drive in the UT of Ladakh this year.
The Home Secretary is reported to have stressed for promotion of tourism, particularly winter tourism, as a strategic sector to boost local economy and generate employment. He asked Chief Secretary Ladakh Dr Pawan Kotwal to formally engage with the Secretary of Telecommunications to fast-track implementation of 4G saturation project, with a view to ensure mobile connectivity across all villages and remote areas of Ladakh.
Officials said the Home Secretary also discussed the formalities required before formal creation of five new districts in the UT of Ladakh.
Five new districts announced for Ladakh include Sham, Nubra and Changthang in Leh; and Zanskar and Drass in Kargil. Presently, there are only two districts in Ladakh including Leh and Kargil. The new districts were announced by the MHA in August 2024.
However, the major issue which is to be settled pertains to upcoming elections to Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council which are due in September-October this year. But within Leh district, three new districts have been announced while two districts have been carved out of Kargil district.
The MHA has to work out a mechanism as to whether all seven districts will have Hill Councils or not. The Hill Councils for all districts seem remote possibility due to very less number of population and votes, the officials pointed out but said since elections to Leh Hill Council are due in September-October, the MHA has to take a decision on new mechanism very shortly.
Meanwhile, Kargil Hill Development Council Chairman-cum-CEC Dr Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon met the Home Secretary in Leh and submitted him a memorandum listing demands of Kargil district.
He demanded 200-bedded hospital in Kargil to upgrade overburdened 100-bedded district hospital with modern healthcare standards, functionalizing Engineering College at Kargil by sanctioning essential posts, establishment of Women’s Degree College at Sankoo, enhancement of Kargil Council’s Capex budget to Rs 500 crore, allocation of Rs 150 crore to clear pending land, house and tree compensation for development works and a special package of Rs 1000 cr to complete pending construction projects.
The CEC was accompanied by Lok Sabha Member Haji Hanifa Jan, among others.
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