Leh, February 28, 2026: The Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Ashish Kundra, today chaired a meeting of the Empowered Committee to deliberate on key administrative matters concerning various departments of the UT Administration.
At the outset, Administrative Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD), Michael Dsouza, presented a comprehensive overview of the agenda. He apprised the committee of two major issues about the School Education Department and the Police Department, along with proposals received from other departments requiring consideration and approval.
Detailed discussions were held on the draft proposal related to Ladakh Information Technology, and matters concerning the Finance Department and the Motor Vehicles Department.
The committee also examined proposals from the School Education Department seeking the creation and rationalisation of additional posts. Key issues included the bifurcation of Primary Teacher posts to streamline administrative efficiency and the proposal to make the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) qualification mandatory for recruitment, aimed at enhancing the quality of education in government schools.
Further deliberations were held on amendments to the Ladakh Social and Tribal Welfare (Subordinate) Services Recruitment Rules, as well as the revision and harmonisation of Recruitment Rules across departments under the General Administration Department. The committee also reviewed proposals concerning the Ladakh Horticulture Department and the reallocation of posts within the Agriculture Department.
Among other significant matters, the committee discussed the reconciliation of the post of Draftsman under Command Area Development in the Agriculture Department and proposed amendments to the Ladakh Public Works (R&B) (Subordinate) Recruitment Rules to ensure administrative clarity and improved service delivery.
The Chief Secretary emphasised the need for transparent, efficient, and merit-based recruitment processes across all departments. He directed the concerned Administrative Secretaries to ensure the timely submission of revised proposals incorporating observations made during the meeting and further stressed that all amendments to Recruitment Rules should align with the broader objective of strengthening institutional capacity and improving governance standards in the Union Territory.
The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Dr L. Franklin; Administrative Secretary, GAD, Michael Dsouza; Administrative Secretary, Tourism, Sanjit Rodrigues; Administrative Secretary, Agriculture, Bhupesh Chaudhary; Administrative Secretary, Social & Tribal Welfare, Shashanka Ala; Deputy Commissioner, Leh, Romil Singh Donk; along with other Additional Secretaries, Directors, and other concerned officers joined the meeting virtually.
