Ladakh Defines ALC Adjoining Zones

Leh, 29 June 2025: 

In accordance with modifications to the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, the Ladakh Administration has officially designated certain areas as "areas adjoining the Actual Line of Control (ALC)" for the purposes of reservations. 

The announcement follows the acceptance of Justice (Retd) Bansi Lal Bhat's commission's final report, which opened the door for new reservation quotas in hiring and employment. Following the release of the Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Rules, 2025, issued under Section 23 of the Act, a government spokesperson said in a statement, "The administration has achieved a significant milestone redressing the long pending concern of the locals, especially the youth of Ladakh." On the day these regulations were published in the official gazette, they became operative.

According to Chief Secretary Dr. Pawan Kotwal, the updated framework complies with national laws, such as the 2016 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. According to him, the reservation quotas are well defined and include 80 percent for Scheduled Tribes, 1 percent for Scheduled Castes, 10 percent for Economically Weaker Sections, and, most significantly, 4 percent for residents of areas that border the ALC. 

Additionally, the policy establishes horizontal reservations, with 6% going to former service members and 4% going to people with benchmark disabilities. Changes to recruitment procedures, including a three list selection model, converting unused EWS vacancies to unreserved slots, and maintaining backlog rosters, were mentioned by Michael D'Souza, Secretary of Ladakh's General Administration Department.

For each service, cadre, and grade, a 100 point running roster will be used to guarantee openness and quota compliance. By giving Scheduled Castes 1 percent and Scheduled Tribes 84 percent under the amended Rule 9 , the new regulations also increase reservation in promotions. 

These events come after Justice Bhat's one member panel was commissioned in October 2023 and presented its interim and final reports to Lieutenant Governor Brig (Retd) B D Mishra. The commission's mandate was to establish standards for determining which villages would be eligible to join the ALC and to suggest an open reservation system.

Up until now, local communities and young people have pushed for recognition under the ALC adjoining category, claiming it would improve employment prospects and address development imbalance in border regions that are sensitive. Officials confirm that people living close to the Line of Control should benefit from the new regulations in terms of their ability to find work and their standard of living. The announcement, which highlights the administration's dedication to strategic inclusion and equitable development, is regarded as a turning point in Ladakh's hiring practices. 

The new reservation structure's implementation will be closely watched, and more instructions are anticipated to operationalise the notified areas and guarantee that the provisions benefit the impacted communities.