Arunachal Pradesh tightens recruitment rules, makes PRC, ST certificate, tribal language mandatory

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union on Wednesday welcomed the state Public Service Commission's decision to mandate a Permanent Residence Certificate, an Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe certificate and proficiency in an indigenous tribal language for candidates applying for 155 Group-A and Group-B gazetted technical posts.

The advertisement by the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) is for the common recruitment examination for Group-A and Group-B gazetted (Technical) posts-2026 (Part-I) and covers vacancies in the agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and veterinary, and textiles and handicraft departments.

The new eligibility provisions follow the state government's decision to introduce uniform criteria for direct recruitment. The state cabinet had approved the criteria on August 13, while the administrative reforms and training department issued a notification on August 26, formally making a valid PRC, APST certificate and knowledge of an indigenous tribal language mandatory for direct recruitment to Group A, B and C posts.

AAPSU president Meje Taku said the APPSC advertisement was a significant step towards addressing the concerns of the state's indigenous population. "This is what our people have been demanding for years is 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," he said. Taku said the union expected the new eligibility criteria to be applied to all future recruitment examinations and not remain limited to the current exercise.

"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," he said. AAPSU general secretary Tator Mato Bui said the inclusion of PRC, APST and indigenous language requirements was in line with the union's 13-point memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Pema Khandu and its subsequent engagement with the high-powered committee examining recruitment-related issues.

The apex students' body of the state said it would continue to monitor the implementation of the provisions and urged the government and recruiting agencies to apply the criteria uniformly in all future recruitment exercises.