Express News Service
SRINAGAR: More than two years after the bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, the administration of Ladakh, one of the two UTs, has issued an order to temporarily define who is a resident of the UT for non-gazetted government jobs.
According to Ladakh Resident Certificate Order 2021, only those who have a Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) issued by a competent authority in the districts of Leh and Kargil or are eligible to be issued PRC shall be able to receive the Resident Certificate.
On August 5, the Centre diluted Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution, thereby stripping the special status and privileges accorded to J&K.
The order states that children of persons possessing a PRC or children of persons who are eligible to be issued Permanent Resident Certificate by the competent authority in the districts of Leh and Kargil shall also be eligible to receive the Resident Certificate.
The Tehsildar or any other officer notified by the administration has been nominated as the competent authority to issue the Resident Certificate.
Defining who is a resident of Ladakh UT will help the administration fill posts in the non-gazetted cadre in the UT.
Political activist Sajjad Kargili, who contested and lost in the 2019 Lok Sabha from Ladakh, told this newspaper that defining the resident of the UT of Ladakh for non gazette government jobs is a welcome move.
He, however, said a lot more needs to be done to safeguard the land and the job rights of the local population of Ladakh.
“We were enjoying protection for land and jobs under Article 370 and 35A and we want the government to safeguard our rights post the revocation of Article 370,” Kargili said.
After the dilution of Article 370, the Centre has extended 890 central laws to J&K and 130 state laws of erstwhile J&K state were modified.
However, the Centre hasn’t extended any Central law to Ladakh.
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