ITANAGAR, SEP 2:
The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has welcomed the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission’s (APPSC) latest recruitment notification, describing the revised eligibility norms as a long-awaited step reflecting the Union’s sustained advocacy for the interests of the state’s indigenous population.
The APPSC advertisement issued on Wednesday for the Common Recruitment Examination for Group-A and Group-B Gazetted (Technical) Posts-2026 (Part-I) invites applications for 155 posts in the Departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary, and Textiles & Handicrafts.
The notification makes it mandatory for candidates to possess a Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC), an Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST) Certificate and proficiency in an indigenous tribal language of Arunachal Pradesh.
Welcoming the development, AAPSU President Meje Taku said the notification represented a significant vindication of the Union’s long-standing demand.
“This is what our people have been demanding for years — that recruitment into government service must first protect the sons and daughters of this soil. We welcome this decision by the APPSC and the state government, and we see it as proof that peaceful, persistent struggle yields results,” he said.
Taku, however, expressed hope that the revised criteria would not remain confined to the present recruitment cycle.
“This is only Part-I. Our hope, and our expectation, is that this standard becomes the norm for every recruitment examination, in every department, going forward. Anything less would be incomplete justice,” he added.
AAPSU General Secretary Tator Mato Bui said the inclusion of PRC, APST and indigenous language proficiency criteria followed the Union’s 13-point memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Pema Khandu and its sustained engagement with the High-Power Committee constituted to examine the issue of state employment quotas.
The Union said it would continue to monitor the implementation of the criteria and reiterated its demand that similar safeguards be extended uniformly to all future recruitment processes conducted by the state government without dilution or exception.
