[Bengia Ajum]

ITANAGAR, 5 Aug: The first meeting of the high-power committee constituted to examine the feasibility of scrapping the 80:20 reservation system in government jobs will be held on August 10.

In a notice, committee chairman Nyato Dukam, who is also the Minister for Industries, informed that the meeting will be attended by the Principal Secretary (Home), Secretary (Law), Secretary (Personnel), Secretary (SJETA), Joint Secretary (AR&T), who is also the Member Secretary, and a representative of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU).

The high-power committee was constituted on July 6 and was given two months to submit its report. Earlier, AAPSU had written to the chairman expressing concern over the delay in convening the meeting and had called for an urgent sitting of the committee.

The committee was constituted after AAPSU demanded the scrapping of the 80:20 reservation system in government jobs and the implementation of 100 percent reservation for APST candidates in the state.

Since its formation, the committee has been mired in controversy. AAPSU took strong exception to Minister Nyato Dukam’s statement that scrapping the existing reservation policy could face legal challenges if the matter reached the courts and that the present reservation policy itself might also be struck down. He had made the statement while attending a programme.

AAPSU termed the statement “immature and irresponsible.” Later, Dukam withdrew his remarks after coming under intense pressure from the students’ body.

Meanwhile, the Arunachal Frontier Tribal Front is organising a peaceful rally on 8 August seeking the immediate scrapping of the 80:20 job reservation system.