ITANAGAR, 26 Aug: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) has urged all recruiting agencies, particularly the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) and the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB), to strictly adhere to the new criteria in all future recruitment examinations.

While welcoming the notification issued by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Training of the state government adopting uniform eligibility criteria for direct recruitment across all posts and services under the state government, the union has warned that it will take its own course of action if the norms are diluted or bypassed.

AAPSU, in a release, said the notification, issued on 26 August 2026 under the signature of chief secretary Manish Kumar Gupta and approved by the governor of Arunachal Pradesh, follows a cabinet decision dated 13 August 2026. It comes in direct response to AAPSU's long-standing demand for making PRC and APST certification mandatory in all government recruitment processes - a demand the union has consistently pursued through its memorandum to the Chief Minister, subsequent reminders, and representations to the APPSC and APSSB.

The AAPSU said the notification makes it mandatory for every candidate applying for direct recruitment to any post under the state government, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies, and local/urban bodies to fulfill three conditions: holding a valid Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) of Arunachal Pradesh; holding an Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST) certificate as an original inhabitant of the state; and possessing working knowledge of an Indigenous Tribal Language of Arunachal Pradesh as notified under the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.

The notification further prescribes that, until a formal written Language Proficiency Test is incorporated into the competitive examination itself, a mandatory Language Test shall be conducted after a candidate joins service, within a probation period of three years. Failing the test, the candidate's annual increments and further promotions will be withheld until the test is cleared.

The order directs the APPSC and APSSB to immediately incorporate these eligibility clauses and the post-joining language test mechanism into all future recruitment advertisements and rules, with the provisions applicable with immediate effect to all Group A, B, and C posts and services.

AAPSU president Meje Taku, reacting to the notification, said it marked a long-awaited and important victory for the indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh.

"This is a demand AAPSU has pursued relentlessly, and today it has been translated into a formal government order. We thank the government for hearing our voice and acting on it. But a notification on paper means nothing unless it is enforced on the ground, in every recruitment exercise, without exception. AAPSU will be watching closely, and we expect the APPSC, the APSSB, and every recruiting authority in the state to implement this in true letter and spirit," Taku said.

The union urged all recruiting agencies, government departments, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies, and local/urban bodies to comply with the eligibility criteria immediately in every recruitment exercise going forward. It specifically called upon the APPSC and APSSB to incorporate the criteria into all pending and future recruitment advertisements without exception, including examinations currently in the pipeline.

The union made it clear that any attempt to circumvent, dilute, or selectively apply the notified criteria would not be tolerated. It warned that AAPSU would be compelled to take its own course of action, including intensified agitation, should any recruiting agency or authority fail to comply with the order.

Taku added, "We will not allow this hard-won safeguard to be diluted through bureaucratic delay or selective application. If any agency fails to comply, AAPSU will not hesitate to act."