Staff REPORTER
ITANAGAR, Jul 3: The Arunachal Frontier Tribal Front (AFTF) has announced a phase-wise democratic agitation demanding the abolition of the state's 80:20 job recruitment ratio, with a mass protest rally scheduled to be held in Itanagar on July 11.
Addressing a press conference at the Arunachal Press Club on Friday, AFTF chairman Tadak Nalo alleged that the state government had failed to respond to the organisation's repeated representations on the issue.
"We have repeatedly submitted representations and even sought an appointment with Chief Minister Pema Khandu to discuss the matter, but there has been no response. With unemployment rising in the state, the 20 per cent unreserved quota is being taken advantage of by outsiders," Nalo claimed.
He further alleged that the prescribed 80:20 recruitment ratio was not being properly implemented in some departments, claiming that certain recruitments were being carried out on a "50:50 basis."
Referring to the recent Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB) examinations held in the Itanagar Capital Region, Nalo claimed that around 35,000 of the nearly 54,000 candidates were non-APST applicants. He also alleged that many non-APST candidates had entered the state without valid Inner Line Permits (ILPs).
According to Nalo, scrapping the 80:20 recruitment ratio would help reduce the number of non-APST candidates competing for government jobs in the state.
He also claimed that several other Northeastern states, including Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Sikkim and Assam, have recruitment systems that restrict participation to their respective indigenous inhabitants.
Describing Arunachal Pradesh as a "100 per cent tribal state," Nalo argued that continuation of the 80:20 recruitment policy could have long-term socio-economic and political implications. He appealed to students, parents and members of the public to support the proposed protest rally on July 11.