Ladakh explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Chapter IX of the Ladakh OSH Rules, 2026 holds the special rules for contract labour, inter-State migrant workers, audio-visual workers, beedi and cigar premises, factories and plantations; Chapters X to XII deal with offences, the Social Security Fund and common licences. This article covers what an employer, contractor or occupier in Ladakh must do under them.
A contractor applies in Form-26 on the portal with the fee in the rule 62 Schedule and a security of Rs. 270/- per worker, and the designated authority issues the licence in Form-27 within forty five days. A licence application not decided within thirty days is deemed granted on the expiry of thirty days. The principal employer must pay unpaid contract wages and recover them from the contractor. A migrant worker is paid a lump-sum fare for a to-and-fro journey home once a year after one hundred and eighty days of service.
The rule set
This article explains the Ladakh Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2026, as notified by S.O. 238 dated 30 July 2026 (Gazette Extraordinary of 2 September 2026). Later amendments and State notifications under these rules should be checked in the State Gazette. Rule 1(c) reads: "They shall come into force on and with effect from the date on which Code shall be enforced by Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette." The four Labour Codes were brought into force from 21 November 2025.
The first article of this pair, on registration, duties, hours and registers, covers Chapters I to VIII. For the Central rules on contractor licences see rules 85 and 86 and rules 87 and 88. If you engage contractors in Ladakh and want your licences and wage-payment trail reviewed, see our labour law compliance service.
Part I: contract labour (rules 61 to 75)
Licence conditions (rule 61). The licence is non-transferable; fees are non-refundable except as the rules provide; wages are as per the Code on Wages and rules; where contract workers do the same or similar work as the principal employer's direct workers, wage rates, holidays, hours and other conditions are the same; changes in the number of workers or conditions of work are notified to the designated authority; a copy of the licence is displayed at the work premises.
Fee schedule (rule 62(2)). Fee for the licence by the number of workers engaged or employed by the contractor, with a security of "Rs. 270/- per worker":
| Workers engaged | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 100 | 3000 |
| 101-250 | 5000 |
| 251-500 | 10000 |
| 501-1000 | 20000 |
| 1001-2500 | 30000 |
| Above 2500 | 50000 |
| Step | Rule | Form | Time as printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application on the portal | 62(1) | 26 | with fee and security; paid through the portal |
| Issue of licence | 62(4)-(5) | 27 | within forty five days; deemed granted on the expiry of thirty days if not decided |
| Renewal application | 63 | 26 | thirty days before expiry; renewed within thirty days, deemed renewed after thirty days |
| Automatic renewal for one year | 63(4) | 27 | no change in particulars; application not less than thirty days before expiry; fee per the rule 62 Schedule |
| Amendment | 64 | 28 | before the change or within three days; fee rupees five hundred plus the difference in security and fee; amended within three days |
| Late fee on renewal or amendment | 65 | - | twenty five per cent in excess of the fee ordinarily payable |
| Intimation of work | 68 | 30 | fifteen days before commencement, to the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator, the designated authority and the area Inspector-cum-Facilitator |
| Refund of security | 70 | application | within thirty days from receipt of application if no breach; record in Form 31 |
Wages and responsibility (rules 66, 71 to 73). The contractor is responsible for paying wages before the period under the Ladakh Code on Wages rules; the principal employer ensures timely disbursement; and if the contractor fails or short-pays, "the Principal employer shall be liable to make payment of wages in full or the unpaid balance", recovering it from the contractor by deduction from any amount payable or as a debt. Wages are paid by the mode in section 55 of the Code; cash or another mode is allowed only where the listed conditions are met, such as the establishment being at a distance of not less than one kilometer from the nearest bank with no ATM within one kilometer, with the worker's option obtained and the Inspector-cum-Facilitator informed. Where the contractor does not pay, wages may be paid from the security deposit through the Inspector-cum-Facilitator (rule 73).
Suspension and experience certificate (rules 69, 74). If a contractor has not given the intimation required, the designated authority may start proceedings within two days; the contractor replies to the show-cause notice within twenty four hours; and the authority passes a speaking order within the next thirty six hours. The contractor gives each worker an experience certificate with the printed particulars. An aggrieved party applies in Form-32 to the Administration, which refers it within the printed days (rule 75).
Part II: inter-State migrant workers (rules 76 to 78)
Under rule 76 the employer pays every inter-State migrant worker, once a year, a lump sum equal to the fare for a to-and-fro journey to the native place. The minimum service is one hundred and eighty days, the fare is for minimum second class by train or bus, and the employer also pays "one hundred rupees per family member per day" for food during the journey, if the family stays with the worker at the workplace. A register of journey allowance is kept in Form-33. Rule 77 requires the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator to set up a helpline number without call charges for migrants. See the Central rule 102.
Part III: audio-visual workers (rules 79 to 81)
The producer's agreement with the employee is in Form-34 and a copy goes to the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator and the Inspector-cum-Facilitator concerned. A notified body resolves disputes: conciliation starts within three days and the decision is due within forty-five days from the start of conciliation. See rules 105 and 106 of the Central rules.
Part IV: beedi and cigar premises (rules 82 to 85)
A person using premises for beedi or cigar work applies in Form-51 on the portal, with the fee in Schedule-II; the licence is in Form-52 within thirty days, and is deemed granted on the expiry of thirty days if not decided. Renewal is by Form-51 for one year or up to five years, with a twenty-five percent additional fee for late applications; an appeal to the appellate officer must be filed electronically within thirty days, with a fee of Rs. 100/-. Schedule-II (workers to be employed, fee): 21-100: 15000; 101-150: 25000; 151-200: 35000; 201-250: 50000; 251-500: 75000; 501-750: 100000; 751-1000: 125000; above 1000: 150000. Home-workers are recorded in Form-33 and outside work in Form-32. See Central rules 33 to 35.
Part V: factories (rules 86 to 128)
- Plans (rules 86 to 94). No building may be constructed or taken into use as a factory unless the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator approves the plans; applications are in Form-35 on the portal with the listed documents, a competent person signs, and a processing fee of "Rupees one per square feet" is paid (rule 94). The plans are approved or rejected within 45 days, and deemed approved after forty-five days if the authorities do not act (rule 87). Approval lapses if construction does not start within one year (rule 90). A Certificate of Stability in Form-37 must be accepted before manufacturing starts, and is valid for five years (rule 88).
- Licence (rules 95 to 107). No premises may be used as a factory without a valid licence. The occupier applies in Form-51; the licence is in Form-52 within thirty days, deemed granted after thirty days; renewal is for one year or up to ten years, applied not less than thirty days before expiry. Amendment (name, number of workers, motive power or process change) costs five hundred rupees plus any fee difference; transfer costs a fee of rupees five hundred. A late fee of twenty five percent applies, and after ninety days one per cent more for every thirty days (rule 104). The licence fee is the grid in Schedule I by connected load in kilowatts and number of workers.
- Dangerous operations and hazardous processes (rules 108 to 124). Rule 108 lists thirty-seven dangerous operations and annexes Schedules, which this article names but does not explain. The occupier pays one hundred rupees per examination of each worker for the medical examination required by the Schedules, and sends a return in Form-39 to reach the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator on or before the 5th day of every month. Hazardous-process factories need a Site Appraisal Committee clearance application in Form-43, a written Health and Safety Policy (exempt only for small factories not in the hazardous list), safety data sheets in Form-44, disclosure to workers, and medical examination before employment and once in six months, recorded in Form-41. See the Central rules 22 and 23, canteen, welfare officer and creche.
- Section 90 applications (rules 125 to 128). The Labour Commissioner-cum-Chief Inspector of Factories is the appropriate authority; the occupier applies in Form-45; and rule 127 lists the persons deemed to hold supervision, management or confidential positions, with a list kept in every factory.
Part VI: plantations (rules 129 to 147)
The employer provides housing near the place of work, with no rent charged (rule 133); workers may keep the house up to two months after death, retirement or termination (rule 134). Each worker is entitled to sickness allowance at normal wages for certified sickness for fourteen days in a year (rule 135). A creche for children between 2 and 6 years is required in every plantation where fifty or more workers are employed or were employed on any day of the preceding twelve months, with not less than fifteen square feet of floor area per child (rule 136). A primary school is required if workers' children between six and twelve exceed twenty five (rule 137). Chemical-handling workers get medical examination before employment and once in twelve months (rule 144), and a precautionary notice is displayed (rule 147).
Offences, Fund and common licence (rules 148 to 154)
The enquiry officer serves a notice within seven days of knowing of an offence and completes the enquiry within sixty days with a speaking order (rule 148). An appeal in Form-47 carries a fee at two percent of the penalty (rule 149). Composition is applied for in Form-48 and decided within seven days of receipt (rule 150); the rules print no composition sum. Rule 151 requires ten rupees per worker, paid at registration, into the Social Security Fund. Rule 152 allows a common licence in Form-51 for a factory, beedi premises and contract workers, or a single licence, issued within thirty days; an appeal against rejection carries a fee of Rs. 1000/- (rule 154). The Central posts are rule 177, rule 182 and rule 183.
Example. Ice-Peak Civil Works, an invented contractor, will engage 300 workers at a Leh site. It applies in Form-26 with the fee for the 251-500 band and a security of Rs. 270/- per worker, informs the authorities in Form-30 fifteen days before work begins, and keeps proof of wage payment for the principal employer.
Common lapses
- Starting contract work without the Form-30 intimation fifteen days before.
- Principal employers ignoring unpaid contractor wages.
- Using a factory before the plan approval and Stability Certificate.
- Missing the 5th-of-month Form-39 medical return.
Need help with contractor licences and factory approvals?
Licences, plans and wage-payment trails each have separate clocks. Our labour law compliance service can map them for your Ladakh operations.
Key takeaways
- Contractor licence: Form-26/27, fee by workers, security Rs. 270/- per worker, deemed grant after thirty days.
- Principal employer is liable for unpaid contract wages and recovers from the contractor.
- Migrant journey allowance after one hundred and eighty days' service.
- Factory plans: 45-day clock; Stability Certificate valid five years.
- Plantation creche at fifty workers; appeal fee two percent of penalty.
Read next
- Ladakh OSH Rules, 2026: registration, employer duties, hours and registers
- Code on Social Security (Ladakh) Rules, 2026: gratuity, maternity benefit and compensation
- Rules 91 and 92 of the Central rules: renewal of licence and refund of security
Disclaimer: Based on the State or Union territory rules named above, as notified under the Labour Codes and consulted on 4 October 2026. Later amendments, State notifications, fees and forms should be checked in the State Gazette and on the State labour department website. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.