Ladakh demand to be included under Sixth schedule

Ladakh demand to be included under Sixth schedule

Why in news:

• On January 2, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) constituted a high-powered committee chaired by Minister of State for Home for the Union Territory of Ladakh.
• As per the 2011 Census, the total population of Ladakh was 2,74,289, and nearly 80% of them are tribals.

Mandate of the committee:

• The committee will discuss measures to protect the region’s unique culture and language taking into consideration its geographical location and strategic importance;
• To ensure protection of land and employment for the people of Ladakh;
• Strategise inclusive development and discuss issues related to the empowerment of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill District Councils of Leh and Kargil.

Need of the committee:

• Civil society groups in Ladakh have been demanding protection of land, resources and employment for the past three years after the special status of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution was read down by Parliament on August 5, 2019.

• The fear of big businesses and conglomerates taking away land and jobs from the local people have contributed to this demand.

Government’s response:

• The Ministry of Home Affairs informed a parliamentary standing committee recently that the objective for inclusion of tribal population under the sixth schedule is to ensure their overall socio­economic development.
• A report tabled in Rajya Sabha on December 13, 2022, quoted MHA officials, that the Ladakh administration recently increased the reservation for the Scheduled Tribes in direct recruitment from 10% to 45% which will significantly help the tribal population in their development.

What is the sixth Schedule:

• The sixth schedule under Article 244 of the Constitution protects the autonomy of tribal populations through creation of autonomous development councils which can frame laws on land, public health and agriculture.
• As of now ten autonomous councils exist in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

Syllabus : Prelims + Mains; GS2 – Polity and Governance