Ladakh: Ladakh has become the first Union Territory in the country to approve a 4% horizontal reservation for outstanding sportspersons in direct recruitment to Group ‘C’ non-gazetted posts under the UT Administration.
Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena accorded approval to the reservation, aimed at securing the future of young sportspersons and encouraging more youth in Ladakh to pursue sports as a career.
According to officials, the decision makes Ladakh the first and only UT to provide a fixed 4% reservation for sportspersons in government jobs. While various States and UTs offer incentives or benefits under sports quotas, the official said Ladakh is the first to introduce a statutory, specified reservation of this nature.
Following the approval, the Ladakh Administration has notified the Union Territory of Ladakh Outstanding Sportspersons (Horizontal Reservation in Direct Recruitment to Group ‘C’ Non-Gazetted Posts) Rules, 2026.
The rules establish a formal framework for extending the reservation benefit to eligible and meritorious sportspersons, subject to fulfilment of prescribed eligibility conditions, including qualifying the relevant recruitment examination.
The reservation will cover sportspersons who have represented their State or country in recognised national or international competitions.
It will also benefit medal winners in Senior and Junior National Championships, Khelo India Youth Games for participants above 18 years, Khelo India Winter Games, Khelo India Para Games and Khelo India University Games.
Eligible sportspersons who have represented their universities in recognised Inter-University competitions will also come under the framework.
The rules further include eligible chess achievers, in accordance with the provisions prescribed by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
The move is being viewed as a significant step towards providing young athletes in Ladakh with greater employment security while encouraging sporting excellence and participation across the Union Territory.
The Administration has maintained that talented sportspersons should be able to pursue their sporting ambitions without having to compromise their future employment prospects.
