The Arunachal Frontier Tribal Front (AFTF) has demanded the scrapping of the 80:20 recruitment ratio in Arunachal Pradesh, instead calling for 100 per cent reservation for tribal communities in the state. AFTF president Tadak Nalo made this announcement during a press conference at the Arunachal Press Club on Friday. The organisation plans to organise a peaceful march on 11 July from Akashdeep to IG Park to press for the implementation of the reservation ratio. All student organisations, community-based organisations, political parties, civil society groups, and the people of Arunachal Pradesh have been invited to join the march.
Nalo claimed that a recent special recruitment examination conducted by the APSSB saw around 62,000 candidates register, with approximately 53,000 appearing. He alleged that around 35,000 of the candidates were non-APST applicants, highlighting the need for a stronger reservation policy for tribals. The AFTF had submitted a memorandum to the government on 17 June, seeking an appointment to discuss the issue, but has not received any response.
Nalo alleged that the government is taking the matter lightly despite its importance, and urged the authorities to address the issue without delay. The present 80:20 reservation ratio, which reserves 80 per cent of government posts for Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST) candidates, is not being properly implemented in some recruitments, Nalo claimed. Certain recruitments are allegedly being conducted on a 50:50 basis, defeating the very purpose of the reservation policy. Nalo explained that the policy was introduced in 1990, when the literacy rate in Arunachal was low and many candidates from outside the state appeared in recruitment examinations.
However, with the literacy rate increasing considerably over the years, and unemployment rising, Nalo warned that failure to implement the reservation policy properly could create further problems in the future. He appealed to the state government to look into the issue seriously.
