ITANAGAR, Jul 7: The All Arunachal Pradesh Women's Welfare Society (APWWS) on Tuesday submitted a comprehensive set of recommendations to the Arunachal Pradesh Administrative Reforms Commission (APARC), seeking wide-ranging reforms to strengthen governance, improve public service delivery and modernise the state's administrative system.
An APWWS delegation, led by president Jarjum Ete, met APARC Chairman Pramod Jain and submitted proposals covering recruitment reforms, manpower planning, digital governance, workplace safety and citizen-centric service delivery.
Among the key recommendations, the organisation called for a more transparent, merit-based and professionally managed recruitment system, with greater involvement of trained human resource professionals in the selection process.
The Society also proposed a mandatory district immersion programme for newly recruited Group 'A' and Group 'B' officers, under which they would spend 30 to 60 days in remote villages and border areas before assuming regular duties to better understand local socio-economic conditions and developmental challenges.
To improve workforce management, APWWS recommended replacing traditional post-based staffing with workload-based manpower planning and constituting departmental committees, including women representatives, to periodically assess staffing requirements.
It further suggested developing a real-time digital Human Resource Dashboard integrating data on sanctioned posts, vacancies, retirements, promotions, transfers, training and deployment across departments.
The recommendations also included cross-functional training for officers to address manpower shortages, introduction of outcome-based Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), a structured leadership and mentorship programme involving retired senior officers, and a "One Government, One Citizen Interface" model to simplify public access to government services through a unified digital platform.
The Society proposed periodic five-year reviews of personnel administration and the introduction of a digital "Competency Passport" for every government employee to record qualifications, skills, training, experience and performance, enabling evidence-based decisions on postings and promotions.
It also urged the government to shift from expenditure-based assessment to outcome-based governance by publishing annual departmental targets and measurable performance indicators in citizen-friendly formats, while promoting proactive disclosure of information to enhance transparency and reduce dependence on the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Among the major recommendations, APWWS proposed the creation of 'NYAYA-SHIELD' (Arunachal Pradesh Workplace Gender-Inclusive Grievance Support System), a state-managed digital platform to provide an inclusive workplace grievance redressal mechanism.
It noted that while the existing SHE-BOX portal addresses complaints of workplace sexual harassment against women under the POSH Act, there is a need for a state-specific, gender-inclusive system covering men, women, transgender and gender-diverse persons, as well as cases involving non-POSH workplace harassment and gender-based discrimination.
According to the proposal, the portal would complement existing statutory mechanisms by promoting dignity, safety, fairness and equality across workplaces while strengthening institutional accountability and grievance redressal.
APWWS suggested implementing the initiative as a one-year pilot project with an estimated budget of Rs 1-1.2 crore, including Rs 40-50 lakh for portal development, Rs 20 lakh for district-level dashboards and training, and Rs 30 lakh for community facilitator support.
During the interaction, APWWS president Jarjum Ete also raised concerns over the widening disparity in school education following the closure of several schools, pointing out that students in rural areas are now compelled to travel long distances to attend classes.
She further highlighted the need for effective implementation of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules in the state, stating that strict enforcement could help curb practices such as polygamy.
APARC Chairman Pramod Jain gave a patient hearing to the delegation and assured that the recommendations would be examined and taken up with the government. He was accompanied by Under Secretary Omey Apang.
The APWWS delegation included general secretary Samnem Ngemu Lego, assistant general secretary Dojum Mara and health coordinator Dagrik Gara.