Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet Mandates PRC and Tribal Language Proficiency for State Jobs

The Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet on Thursday made the Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) and proficiency in a recognised tribal language mandatory for candidates seeking state government jobs, according to an official statement.

The decision will apply to direct recruitment through competitive examinations conducted for state government departments, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies and local bodies. The new provisions take immediate effect and will be incorporated into the Recruitment Rules and Service Rules for Group A, B and C posts, along with their equivalent positions.

Under the revised eligibility criteria, applicants must be an Indian citizen and an inhabitant of Arunachal Pradesh with a valid PRC, be an original inhabitant of the state, hold an Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST) certificate as per the list notified by the Centre, and demonstrate proficiency in at least one indigenous tribal language of Arunachal Pradesh from a notified list.

The Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) and the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB) have been directed to incorporate these conditions, along with a post-joining language test mechanism, into future recruitment advertisements and rules.

The Cabinet's decision comes amid sustained demands from organisations, including the All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU), for stronger safeguards in government recruitment and the abolition of the existing 80:20 recruitment ratio.

The 80:20 ratio reserved 80% of state government jobs for local Scheduled Tribe candidates, while the remaining 20% were filled through general competition.

AAPSU had recommended making PRC and APST certificates mandatory for recruitment, along with proficiency in an indigenous language. The High Power Committee examining the issue accepted these recommendations. The union has given the state government until August 15 to announce its decision on the 80:20 issue and has warned of a 12-hour statewide bandh on August 17 if its demand is not met.

The Arunachal Frontier Tribal Front (AFTF) has also sought complete abolition of the 80:20 ratio and demanded mandatory ST and PRC certificates, as well as indigenous language proficiency, for government recruitment.

However, the Cabinet did not announce the abolition of the 80:20 ratio. Instead, it approved uniform eligibility conditions restricting direct recruitment to candidates meeting the prescribed residence, indigenous status and language requirements.