Dr. Pawan Kotwal, Chief Secretary Ladakh, reviews referral of vacancies to Recruiting Boards
Leh, July 14, 2025: Dr. Pawan Kotwal, Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Ladakh, chaired a review meeting today 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, the Deputy Commissioner/CEO, LAHDC Kargil, Sh. 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 Leh Autonomous Hill Development-Subordinate Services Recruitment Board, the Deputy Commissioner/CEO, LAHDC Leh, Sh. 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.
Dr. 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 (e.g., ST & ALC, ALC & EWS, SC & ALC) must exercise an option to claim reservation under only one category at the time of application, as per Section 19 of the Jammu and Kashmir 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.
Dr. 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.
Secretary GAD, Michael M. D’Souza, informed the meeting that GAD has provided QR-coded, machine-numbered Domicile Certificate booklets to competent authorities to enhance security, prevent fraud, and streamline verification. He added that SC/ST Certificates will now follow the format prescribed by UPSC to standardize documentation, ensure consistency, and facilitate smoother verification during recruitment. Competent authorities were directed to adhere to these prescribed formats for uniformity and compliance.
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, 2025. 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 the Union Territory of Ladakh, as governed by the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, and the UT of Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Rules, 2025. The General Administration Department is currently preparing a detailed note on this unique framework, which will be utilized by UPSC for advertising the posts.
The meeting was attended by Secretary GAD, Michael M. D’Souza; Deputy Commissioner/CEO, LAHDC Kargil, Rakesh Kumar; Deputy Commissioner/CEO, LAHDC Leh, Romil Singh Donk; Secretary, Ladakh Subordinate Services Staff Selection Board (LSSSSB), Rigzin Spalgon; Under Secretary to CS/GAD, Mohd Taqi; Secretary, LAHDC-Kargil Subordinate Services Recruitment Board, Jhangir Akhone; Secretary, Leh Autonomous Hill Development-Subordinate Services Recruitment Board (LAHD-SSRB), Rehmatullah Bhat; and Under Secretary, Ladakh Subordinate Services Staff Selection Board (LSSSSB), Jigmet Angchuk.
