Ladakh gets new domicile and quota policies

• The Union government has notified new policies on reservation, languages, domiciles, and hill council composition for Ladakh.

• The policies allow 85% reservation for resident Ladakhis in government jobs.

• For other residents to be considered “domiciles,” they must show 15 years of continuous residence from October 31, 2019.

• A third of the seats in hill councils have been reserved for women on a rotational basis.

• The official languages of the Union Territory will be English, Hindi, Urdu, Bhoti, and Purgi.

• The Union Territory of Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Regulation, 2025 amends the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004 in Ladakh’s context.

• The total reservation for government jobs in the Union Territory now stands at 95%, one of the highest in the country.