[ Bengia Ajum ]
Chief Minister Pema Khandu has completed six years in office. His six-year tenure witnessed some important reforms and some challenges too. When he took over the reins as the CM on 17 July, 2016, the state was going through serious political instability. The state faced a difficult time due to constant political instability.
The first thing Khandu did was to bring political stability in a state like Arunachal, which is famous for changing chief ministers frequently. The political stability allowed him to bring in certain reforms which will have long-term impacts. His most important legacy is the institutional reform made in the recruitment process. The creation of the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board, popularly known as APSSB, made the recruitment of Groups C and D in the government sector more transparent. The chief minister also has given a lot of emphasis on harnessing the human resources. Giving training to newly recruited circle officers and deputy superintendents of police at famous civil service and police training institutes across India has brought a positive change. These trainings will definitely help these young officers in discharging their duties and will also make the state civil service more attractive.
Another area where the CM has focussed a lot is health. The state’s lone medical college, the TRIHMS, despite all odds, is functioning and Khandu played a stellar role in this regard. Post Covid-19, the hospitals in the districts are also getting better. However, the biggest achievement of Khandu’s tenure so far has been to keep religious and tribal politics away from the state. Considering the fact that he is a BJP CM and is running an absolute BJP majority government, he must be credited for concentrating on governance and not on divisive religious politics. There might be pressure on him to implement some of the deeply divisive ideas from the right wing groups within the Sangh Parivar, but so far he has stood firm.
On the other hand, just look at neighbouring Assam. Himanta Biswa Sarma had to do extreme religious politics to get the CM’s seat and to continue. He succumbed to the pressure of the right wing group. Just a few years ago, as a Congress leader, Sarma had bitterly targeted PM Narendra Modi over the Gujarat riots.
There have been instances when right wing groups have tried to stir trouble in the state like by seeking cancellation of ST status of tribal Christians and the recent beef controversy. Also, the Tawang church issue is a big challenge for the CM and it will be interesting to see how he resolves it.
It is not that everything is rosy under the leadership of Khandu. Corruption continues to be an issue. The All Arunachal Contractor Welfare Association has on several occasions raised concern over the ‘percentage culture’, alleging that it leads to dilution of work quality. The government has not been able to take any concrete steps in this issue. There are also allegations that a major chunk of government funds are being diverted to Namsai and Tawang districts. Other districts constantly allege stepmotherly treatment.
The road sector, even though it has witnessed improvement, still needs more focus. Especially in central Arunachal, including in Itanagar Capital Region, the road condition, including highways, continues to be pathetic. The job sector needs serious attention. There was expectation that, with the creation of the investment department, it would lead to private investment in the state, thereby creating job opportunities. But this has not happened and still a major chunk of youths has to depend on government jobs. Unemployment is emerging as the biggest challenge for the chief minister.