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Make PRC mandatory for state civil services exams: ANSU to Govt

The reservation ratio maintained in the APPSC is 80:20 at present.

ANSU executive members addressing a press conference on Saturday

Itanagar: The All Nyishi Students’ Union (ANSU) has asked the state government to make it mandatory for the aspirants to have a Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) to appear in the state civil services examinations.

“The civil services examinations (APPSCCE) conducted by the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) in 2020 witnessed a total of six non-Arunachalee candidates clear the same and acquire entry into the state’s administrative structure. This is a matter of serious concern as the development has opened a floodgate and the aspirants from across the country are trying to appear in the civil services examination of Arunachal,” ANSU president Nabam Dodum said.

The reservation ratio maintained in the Commission is 80:20 at present. Eighty percent of the seats are reserved for Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST) candidates and 20% is for open competition.

Dodum, who was addressing a news conference at the Press Club here, said that no other northeastern state other than Arunachal has witnessed a candidate from another state top its civil services examinations. Read: Agnipath scheme a deceit with the unemployed youth of India: APYC

“The other northeastern states do not even allow outsiders to appear in the state examinations and the same should be practiced in Arunachal. The present trend of allowing non-Arunachalee candidates to appear in the APPSCCE poses a great threat to the indigenous candidates,” the ANSU president said.

Dodum also said that the role of the APPSC is extremely critical in protecting the indigenous interests of the state in various fronts and it should do the same.

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The ANSU also demanded for immediate revocation of clause 2(iii) of the Commission’s office memorandum (OM) dated June 10, 2022 by issuing a corrigendum stating mandatory compliance of 1:3 ratios, so as to uphold the sanctity of a competitive examination.

The state department of administrative reform had recently issued the OM-2022 which stated that in case the number of candidates with at least 33% marks in each paper is less than three times the number of vacancies, all candidates securing 33% marks in each paper shall be called for the viva-voce test.

Dodum said the partially modified OM-22 blatantly contradicts the very objective of the OM No. 54/2006 dated 7 January, 2008 (Annexure ‘B’), which prescribes the procedure of selection of candidates for appearing in viva-voce test for all examinations for appointment of Groups A, B and C services under the state government.

He also highlighted the union’s demand for review and revise the Physical Standard Test (PST) and Physical Efficiency Test (PET) for Arunachal Pradesh Police Service, transparency in Right to Information (RTI) framework by making it accessible to answer scripts of candidates.

The other demands of the union include setting up of a ‘Dedicated Appraisal and Grievances Redressal Cell’ to address any examination related issues within 30 days in time, inclusion of regional topics and immediate official response to the previous demands of the union placed vide representation dated September 09, 2021

The union also said that in order to make the recruitment process fair, transparent and free from any form of prejudices, the chairman and members of the APPSC must be a former retired civil servant of the state with at least 10 years of experience with the Central or state government.

The ANSU has further cautioned the APPSC to not announce any fresh examination related proceedings without the redressal of the union’s charter of demands for which it has given the government a time of 25 days.