Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 3 Sep: Following a month-long controversy surrounding the non-release of the financial incentive meant for former Miss Arunachal Tengam Celine Koyu, the Arunachal Guild for Cultural Integration (AGCI) on Monday issued a whip, removing the incumbent organising team of the Miss Arunachal Organisation (MAO).
The former Miss Arunachal had accused the incumbent managing director and chairman of failing to release the incentive, sponsored by the youth affairs department.
The AGCI also temporarily suspended its activities for a month. The decision came after an executive meeting held on 1 September under the chairmanship of AGCI chairman Dr Kipa Kaha. The AGCI further resolved to appoint new organising committee members who would operate under the AGCI’s banner, in collaboration with the youth affairs directorate.
The AGCI said that the MAO will no longer be the official
organiser of the Miss Arunachal pageant. The AGCI chairman will appoint a new chairman and secretary of the organising committee for Miss Arunachal-2024 at the earliest.
“From this year onwards, the AGCI will resume organising the Miss Arunachal event, ensuring smooth operations in the interest of public service,” it informed in a press release.
It may be recalled that Koyu, Miss Arunachal 2021, had threatened to file a case for nonpayment of her dues, following which the organizers came forward to say that the incentive wasn’t disbursed to her but was with them. After her disclosure to the public about the nonpayment, former Femina Miss India participant Tana Punya and makeup artist Dado Pana came forward to say that they were not paid either. Later, Mr. Arunachal Tumken Sora (2019) and Mr. Arunachal Minjom Padu (2021) spoke out about how they were never informed about incentives by the organizers of the Mr. Arunachal contest. Both of them, during a meeting with members of the Mr. Arunachal Organization on 25 August, received cheques (incentives). However, they said the organizers informed them that ‘it will take three to four months to receive the amount.’
In 2019, the Miss Arunachal event was officially recognized as a state calendar event, with an initial allocation of Rs. 40,00,000 (Forty Lakhs). This amount was later increased to Rs. 80,00,000 (Eighty Lakhs) to better support the event at the request of the organizers.
