Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh recently made a key announcement, confirming the conduct of the National Recruitment Agency Common Entrance Test (NRA CET). He has announced that the exam will be conducted from early 2022 across the country. In addition, for the ease of access to taking the exam for candidates all over India, there will be one centre each located in Leh and Kargil, respectively. By the same token, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will be conducting the Civil Services 2021 preliminary exam next month with 1 center each. For this recruitment exam, aspirants in Ladakh will have their own centre in Leh, established and functional for the preliminary examination. These two crucial announcements were also shared and published by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) India.
The developments and announcements come as a part of the developmental strategy employed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the upliftment of the newly-formed Union Territory of Ladakh. The UT was separated from the former state of Jammu & Kashmir on August 05, 2019. The series of developments also aim at uplifting the youth of Ladakh by providing them more education and employment opportunities.
Recently, Singh inaugurated a 2-day workshop pertaining to Capacity Building at Leh for all Ladakh government officials. During the inauguration, the Union Minister shed light on the development agenda planned by PM Modi for uplifting UT of Ladakh. He went onto confirm that the NRA CET 2022 examination will be conducted in and around the country in the early months of next year.
Ladakh, with two proposed centres at Kargil and Leh, will also be participate in the screening of candidates and shortlist them for various employment opportunities in the Government sector. Recruitment drive for the same is presently being conducted by three government bodies – 1. Staff Selection Commission (SSC), 2. Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and 3. Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). According to Singh, this move is not just a governance reform but a significant social reform, empowering the youth residing in far-off and remote areas.
Apart from this, Singh confirmed that Ladakh will also be participating in the Civil Services 2021 preliminary exam schedule don October 10, 2021, with one exam centre located in Leh. This is an important move countering the years of issues and difficulty faced by the youth while commuting to other parts of the country to appear for the recruitment exam.
Apart from this, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to establish a Night Sky Planetarium at the Indian Astronomical Observatory near Leh. The same was confirmed by Singh during his inauguration speech.
