By Rinchen Angmo Chumikchan
Leh: Frustrated with six years of policy hibernation and growing uncertainty about their future, the youth of Ladakh have come forward to voice their concerns on unemployment, the absence of a clear recruitment policy, and the lack of transparency from the administration. This was expressed through a press conference held on Thursday in Leh, where they described the situation as a collective failure of the UT administration, both the Hill Councils and the Ladakh MP.
The youth highlighted key issues such as the absence of a clear domicile policy, delays in recruitment notifications, and insufficient exam infrastructure, demanding immediate answers and urging the upcoming high-power committee meeting to produce tangible results. They also warned that continued inaction and silence of the administration could lead to increased social unrest as their frustration continues to grow.
Tashi Targais, a youth, said, "My first point is that unemployment is a collective failure of Ladakh, involving the administration, the MP, both Hill Councils, and most importantly, the youth themselves. Today, we have graduates, postgraduates, and even PhD holders. But no one is raising their voice for their rights or against the injustice."
"That is why we are unable to find a solution to the unemployment crisis. I want to ask the youth, how long will you remain silent? Six years have passed, and we still do not have a proper recruitment policy. Until we raise our voices, no solution will come," he added.
He said this was an equal injustice to the parents of the unemployed youths who struggle to provide better education, often sending their offspring out of Ladakh so that they can live with some dignity. " Since Ladakh became a union territory, the most affected have been its youth, as no one seems to know how to frame a proper recruitment policy. We are tired of approaching the administration, and even after six years, we still don't have any answers. We are the youth who have sacrificed six crucial years of our lives for Ladakh. We did so because we didn't want any policy that might harm Ladakh in the long run," Targais added.
"Recently, the J&K government disclosed data showing 84,000 non-state domiciles have settled in Jammu and Kashmir over the last two years. If even 40,000 such individuals were to settle in Ladakh in the coming two years, it could pose serious risks to the region's demographic balance. Unfortunately, over the past six years, the issue of unemployment in Ladakh has been largely ignored, leading to growing anxiety, frustration and depression among the youth. Is it our fault that we sacrificed six crucial years of our lives for Ladakh's future?" asks another youth, Sonam Targais.
He further said, "The situation is becoming so dire that, in isolation, many young people are turning to drugs. The day is not far when Ladakh could also see a rise in crime. There is a clear connection between unemployment and drug abuse. What kind of example are we setting for our youth?"
"Since the formation of the Union Territory, the aspirations of Ladakh's youth have turned into deep frustration. Before this frustration transforms into a larger agitation, I urge all stakeholders, especially the administration, to take prompt and effective action on the issue of unemployment. We also expect that the upcoming high-power committee meeting will deliver a concrete solution to the domicile issue. Moreover, we demand that the minutes of the meeting be made public," he added.
Stanzin Padma, another youth, said students are forced to speak out due to the glaring inaction of the administration. The elected representative must consult the youth before making any statement. "The grievances of Ladakhi youth run deep, and these leaders should first understand our concerns. We strongly condemn those leaders. Tomorrow, if Ladakh gets the Sixth Schedule, a legislature, or even statehood, we must not forget the six years of sacrifice. The issue of unemployment should never have taken this long to address. Dr B.R. Ambedkar and his team took just two years and eleven months to draft the entire Constitution of India. How can a relatively small issue like domicile policy take over six years? I ask this question to the administration," he said.
Sonam Dawa also echoed a similar sentiment, "In Ladakh, recruitment for government jobs starts one year and then stops. There is no consistency. Earlier, non-gazetted recruitment was done based on the Ladakh Resident Certificate (LRC). For most people in Ladakh, the LRC was understood as a document required solely for employment. But today, we are uncertain about its status."
"While the Tehsildar continues to issue LRCs, and it remains mandatory in sectors like tourism, we are told that its legal validity for jobs is expiring. This kind of double standard is unfair. We have raised our concerns on multiple platforms, demanding a proper domicile policy with a fixed cut-off date. Recently, the apex body also made its position clear by proposing 1989 as the cut-off year for Ladakh domicile eligibility. In the recently held general council meeting of the Hill Council, Leh, we hoped that a resolution on this would be passed, but unfortunately, both the ruling and opposition parties failed to take a stand," he added.
Echoing Dawa, Tashi Gyaltson said the administration's announcement of issuing job notifications in February for conducting the exam in April fell flat. "There has been an unexplained delay from the administration. We want to know the reason, yet there has been no public statement addressing it. Secondly, there is no clarity on the syllabus. Students are confused about what to study, and the administration must release an official syllabus to avoid further stress. We want to work with the administration in the interest of Ladakh, but it seems they are not willing to engage with us. We are not being given a fair opportunity," he added.
Tsering Diskit highlighted the lack of computer-enabled exam centres in Ladakh. "Currently, there is only one centre with a maximum capacity of just 100 candidates per shift, which is not enough given the large youth population. Even when exams are held, many students are forced to travel outside Ladakh, as they had to for the SSC exams in 2022 and the recent SBI recruitment tests. Ladakh's harsh climate and limited transportation availability, especially in winter, make such travel difficult and expensive. Students often have to spend at least Rs 10,000 just to appear for an exam. Not everyone can afford that. I urge the government to either open more exam centres or increase the capacity of the existing ones," he said.
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