Itanagar: The Arunachal cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pema Khandu has made a significant decision by approving the regulation of ‘minimum qualifying marks’ in written examinations for the recruitment of Group A and B posts.
As per the new regulation, candidates who achieve the minimum qualifying marks in the preliminary examination, as determined by the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), will be eligible to appear for the mains examination.
Subsequently, candidates who obtain the minimum marks in the mains examination, as specified by the Commission, will be invited for an Interview/viva voce for personality tests or other assessments.
The new policy also addresses the recruitment process for Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribes (APST) or Persons with Disability (PwD) candidates.
If the commission believes that an insufficient number of candidates from these categories are likely to be invited for the personality test based on the general standards, relaxed standards will be applied for them to fill up the reserved vacancies. The APPSC will maintain a ratio of 1:3 for vacant posts reserved for APST and PwD candidates concerning the number of candidates called for the interview/viva voce test, subject to the availability of candidates.
The cabinet on the day also extensively discussed the state’s education landscape and the various initiatives undertaken by the education department.
The education commissioner provided a comprehensive update, highlighting the notable progress made despite challenging circumstances, compared to previous years.
Key achievements in education were acknowledged, including a significant reduction in the dropout rate from 9% in 2016 to an impressive 2.3% in 2022, well below the national average.
Additionally, the availability of pre-primary classes in schools surged from 3% in 2016 to 27% in 2022, while 90% of schools now adhere to teacher posting norms, a substantial improvement from 24% in 2016.
“The implementation of 840 Early Childhood Care Centres under Samagra Shiksha marked another milestone. Moreover, 50 Government schools are slated to be upgraded to Golden Jubilee Schools, and 118 government upper primary schools have become Building as Learning Aid (BaLA) compliant,” the education commissioner informed the cabinet.
Furthermore, there has been commendable progress in promoting girls’ education, with 50 dedicated Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya established and 36 KGBVs attached to higher secondary schools. Notably, a new Sainik School was established at Tawang under the PPP mode, supplementing the existing one at Niglok.
The education system also witnessed the integration of vocational courses in Tourism, Hospitality, and IT into 99 government higher secondary schools and 70 government secondary schools through Samagra Shiksha.
Additionally, efforts were made to preserve and celebrate local cultural heritage, with books on folk tales developed for eight tribes – Nyishi, Galo, Tagin, Wanchu, Tangsa, Idu Mishmi, Taraon Mishmi, and Kaman Mishmi.
Looking ahead, the cabinet has outlined targets and initiatives for the education department to implement in the near future.
These include a 10% improvement in the overall pass percentage in 10th and 12th CBSE Board exams, and a similar advancement in performance across all parameters in the NAS survey by 2024. The focus will also be on filling infrastructure gaps, emphasizing actual learning over syllabus completion, and fostering holistic development for students. To enhance the teaching quality, a teacher training calendar will be prepared, followed by regular feedback assessments to ensure effective training.
Additionally, the cabinet approved the creation of a Controller of Examination (CoE) post for the Arunachal University at Pasighat. This post is deemed essential for the university, which is set to commence its academic activities in the 2023-24 academic year.
Earlier, the state government had already created 65 positions, including those of Vice Chancellor, Registrar, and Professors for the State University.
The Cabinet also sanctioned the Laboratory Assistant (Civil) Recruitment Rules to cater to the needs of various Polytechnic Colleges in the state. Currently, there are six government polytechnic colleges where technical manpower is required to assist faculty members in hands-on training.
Furthermore, the cabinet approved the renaming of the State Remote Sensing Application Centre (SRSAC) to Arunachal Pradesh Space Application Centre (APSAC).
The SRSAC has been functioning as the apex body for remote sensing, GIS, and space technology application projects under the Arunachal Pradesh Science and Technology department.
With this decision, the newly named APSAC will operate independently with its own Memorandum of Association (MoA) and bye-laws, enabling it to conduct activities related to space technology.
During its meeting, the cabinet also reviewed the status of key issues in the APPSC and gave in-principle approval for the establishment of the ‘Arunachal Pradesh Airport Planning and Development Authority.’
The new authority will focus on the planned development of areas surrounding airports in the state.
Additionally, the cabinet approved the recruitment rules for ‘public prosecutor, additional public prosecutor, and assistant public prosecutor, Group-A, Gazetted (Non-Ministerial)’ to fill 24 posts of prosecuting officers.
Moreover, the outdated recruitment rules for the principal private secretary (PPS) and private secretary (PS) positions were amended.
The cabinet further authorized the creation of two PWD sub-divisions, along with necessary manpower, at Dollungmukh under Raga division and at Patuk under Sangram division.
The meeting also saw the cabinet decide to grant special remission to prisoners of specific categories in order to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav).
The cabinet headed by CM Khandu, decided that at least four male prisoners serving terms in jails will walk out free this Independence Day provided the recommendation is approved by the Governor.
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