ITANAGAR, 12 Mar: Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday said that his government is awaiting the recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) to undertake a recruitment drive to fill up vacant posts in various districts.
Replying to a question raised by NPP MLA Thangwang Wangham during Question Hour, Khandu said the commission, headed by a retired IAS officer, was constituted to make administration more efficient, transparent, accountable and citizen-centric by examining existing structures, procedures and policies.
“We are waiting for the recommendations of the commission, so that recruitment can be undertaken to fill up vacant posts in various districts,” the chief minister said.
Khandu informed the House that 94 posts have been sanctioned for Longding district, of which four remain vacant. Requisitions for filling up these posts have already been placed with the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB), he added.
On the issue of district quota recruitment, the chief minister said the matter is currently sub judice, and therefore no recruitment can be made under the quota system at present.
The district quota recruitment mechanism was introduced by the state government to ensure equitable distribution of government jobs among various districts. It is mainly applicable to Group C and D posts, many of which are recruited through the APSSB.
The policy was brought in to address regional imbalances in employment opportunities across the state.
However, the system has recently come under legal scrutiny after a writ petition challenged the validity of district-wise reservation in recruitment before the Itanagar Bench of the Gauhati High Court.
The petitioners have argued that district-based reservation may violate the constitutional principle of equal opportunity in public employment under Article 16 of the Constitution.
Following the petition, the court directed the authorities not to proceed with appointments under the district quota in certain recruitment processes, including those conducted by the APSSB, until the matter is decided.
Khandu said he has discussed the matter with the state advocate general to pursue an early settlement of the case, so that recruitment under the system can proceed.
He said the government has asked all deputy commissioners to submit reports on vacant posts in their respective districts.
“The government is awaiting the reports and will act accordingly to fill up vacant posts based on the recommendations of the ARC,” he said.
Raising the issue, Wangham stated that, since the carving out of Longding district from Tirap, no substantial or proportionate creation of new administrative posts has taken place to meet the district’s growing administrative requirements.
Responding to this, the chief minister said there is no immediate proposal for the creation of additional administrative posts in the district at present.
However, he added that the government would take appropriate action based on the recommendations of the ARC and examine the issue. (PTI)
