Ladakh Chief Secy directs govt depts to prioritise filling of vacant positions
Ladakh Chief Secretary Pawan Kotwal chaired a review meeting to assess the progress of referring vacancies to the designated recruiting agencies: the Ladakh Subordinate Services Staff Selection Board (LSSSSB), the Leh Autonomous Hill Development-Subordinate Services Recruitment Board (LAHD-SSRB), and the LAHDC-Kargil Subordinate Services Recruitment Board (LAHDC-KSSRB).
The meeting reviewed that out of 841 vacancies to be referred by various departments to the LAHDC-Kargil Subordinate Services Recruitment Board, Kargil Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar reported that the Board has received requisitions for 473 vacancies.
Similarly, out of 547 vacancies to be referred by various departments to the LAHD-SSRB, Leh Deputy Commissioner Romil Singh Donk reported that the Board has received requisitions for 530 vacancies. The Secretary, Ladakh Subordinate Services Staff Selection Board, reported that the Board has received requisitions for 318 vacancies.
Kotwal directed all Administrative Departments to verify existing and anticipated vacancies (due to retirements up to December 31, 2025) and submit them to the respective recruiting boards, adhering to the updated 100-point reservation roster outlined in the UT of Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Rules, 2025.
Secretary GAD, Michael M. D’Souza, informed that candidates eligible for reservation under multiple categories must exercise an option to claim reservation under only one category at the time of application, as per Section 19 of the J&K Reservation Act, 2004. This choice, once made, is final and cannot be changed after application submission. He urged the Boards to give wide publicity to this aspect to enable candidates to make informed decisions when choosing their preferred category.
Kotwal also instructed competent authorities to issue Domicile Certificates in strict compliance with the formats prescribed by the General Administration Department (GAD) under the Ladakh Civil Services Decentralization and Recruitment (Grant of Domicile Certificate) Procedure Rules, 2025.
The Chief Secretary also directed the recruitment boards to notify the syllabus for upcoming examinations to ensure transparency and provide candidates adequate preparation time.
Secretary GAD further reported that requisitions for the first phase of posts to be advertised through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) have been prepared as per the UPSC 33 Proforma and will be submitted on July 16. These include 125 Medical Officer vacancies from the Health and Medical Education Department, 32 Accounts Officer posts from the Finance Department, and 75 Lecturer vacancies across various streams.
In respect of gazetted posts, the UPSC has agreed to advertise these in accordance with the unique reservation and domicile framework of Ladakh, as governed by the J&K Reservation Act, 2004, and the Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Rules, 2025. The GAD is currently preparing a detailed note on this unique framework, which will be utilised by UPSC for advertising the posts.
J & K