The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has written to the state’s Chief Minister, seeking an update within seven days on the status of its 13-point memorandum submitted last month. In a follow-up memorandum, the apex students’ body stated that despite a detailed discussion with the Chief Minister on June 2, no official update on the progress of the demands has been given. AAPSU president Meje Taku said, “We met the chief minister in good faith and had a good discussion on every issue.
It has been a month now, and we hope to hear back on where things stand.” Among the demands is the scrapping of the existing 80:20 recruitment ratio in state government jobs, with AAPSU pushing for mandatory PRC and APST certification in all state recruitment processes. The union cited the 2021 APPSCCE examination, in which a non-APST candidate topped the list, as the reason for urgency in the matter. The memorandum also called for the re-amendment of Article 371 (H) to bring Arunachal Pradesh’s constitutional safeguards closer to those enjoyed by Nagaland and Mizoram, and the state’s inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.
Additionally, the union raised the long-pending Chakma-Hajong resettlement issue, seeking early completion of the Assam boundary demarcation, and called for a central law addressing racial discrimination faced by people from the Northeast in other parts of the country. Other demands include a dedicated startup package for indigenous youths, a ‘Chief Minister’s research fellowship’ for APST PhD scholars, additional CUET centres within the state, a designated ground for peaceful public assembly in Itanagar, and a working women’s hostel in the Itanagar Capital Region. The AAPSU described the issues as matters of constitutional, demographic, and existential concern to the indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh.
Taku emphasized that these issues concern the land, identity, and future of every indigenous Arunachali, and the union remains hopeful of a positive response. The union will continue to engage with the government on the matters.
