The Arunachal Frontier Tribal Front (AFTF) has reiterated its demand for abolition of the existing 80:20 job reservation ratio and called for 100% reservation of government jobs for tribal communities of Arunachal Pradesh. It also announced a peaceful march on 11 July from Akashdeep to IG Park to press for the implementation of its reservation demand.

Under the current policy, 80% of government posts are reserved for APST candidates, while the remaining 20% are open to other eligible candidates, for which tribals can also apply.

The organisation has renewed its call after 62,000 candidates registered for a recent APSSB special recruitment examination, of whom about 35,000 were non-Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST) applicants. The organisation claims this highlights the need for 100% reservation.

The AFTF submitted a memorandum to the state government on 17 June, seeking discussions on the issue but claims that it has not received any response, prompting it to announce the latest measures.

With thousands unemployed in the state and very limited opportunities for private entrepreneurship among economically weaker sections, the demand is bound to resonate with the people. The reservation policy needs a relook to ensure that more deserving candidates from the state benefit. The state also needs to examine the need for making the permanent resident certificate a mandatory requirement for government job applications. The 20% open category posts need not be filled by outsiders when there are enough eligible candidates within the state.