Ladakh Launches REWA 2.0 Scheme To Support UPSC Aspirants From Under-Resourced Backgrounds
SDG 4: Quality Education | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Institutions: Union Territory of Ladakh | Ministry of Education
On 18 October 2025, the Lt Governor of Ladakh, Kavinder Gupta, launched the REWA 2.0 Scheme as a major step toward youth empowerment and equitable access to civil services in the UT. The scheme will support 80 meritorious but economically disadvantaged candidates (40 each from Leh & Kargil) preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination. Under REWA 2.0, each selected candidate will receive financial assistance of ₹1.18 lakh for six months of coaching and accommodation at their choice of institution across India. The scheme also reserves at least one seat per district for persons with disabilities.
REWA 2.0 tackles two important policy levers: education equity and talent retention in peripheral regions. By making top-tier civil-services training accessible to students from Ladakh, it promotes human-capital development, strengthens regional representation in public services, and supports the broader goal of “Viksit Bharat 2047”. The inclusion of persons with disabilities and equal district coverage underscores the inclusive-development agenda (SDG 10). For policymakers, the scheme is also an example of state/UT-level innovation in access scholarships, which could be replicated in other remote or underserved territories.
What is REWA 2.0? → REWA stands for Reaching Educated and Well-informed Aspirants. The 2.0 version is a targeted financial-assistance scheme by UT Ladakh’s Higher Education Department, aimed at removing the cost barrier for high-potential youth from remote regions to access quality UPSC coaching institutions.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can Ladakh’s REWA 2.0 model be mainstreamed, ensuring long-term coaching infrastructure, mentorship networks, and tracking of beneficiary outcomes (civil-services success, public-service deployment), so that access transforms into actual representation and regional diversity in India’s civil services?
Follow the full announcement here: Ladakh UT official site