Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh government on Wednesday issued a notification making PRC, APST certificate and knowledge of an indigenous tribal language mandatory for direct recruitment to all posts and services under the state government.

The notification, signed by Chief Secretary Manish Kumar Gupta with the governor's approval, will apply to direct recruitment to posts under the state government, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies and local and urban bodies, officials said.

Under the new criteria, every candidate applying for direct recruitment must possess a valid Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) of Arunachal Pradesh, an Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST) certificate as an original inhabitant of the state, and working knowledge of an indigenous tribal language as notified under the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.

The decision was approved by the state Cabinet at its meeting held on August 13.

The notification also provides for a mandatory language test for selected candidates.

Until a formal language proficiency test is included in the competitive examination, the test will be conducted after a candidate joins service and must be cleared within the three-year probation period.

Failure to clear the language test within the prescribed period will result in the withholding of annual increments and further promotions until the candidate qualifies the test, the notification said.

The Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) and the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB) have been directed to immediately incorporate the new eligibility conditions and the post-joining language test mechanism in all future recruitment advertisements and rules.

The provisions will come into effect immediately and will apply to all Group A, B and C posts and services.

Meanwhile, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) welcomed the notification, describing it as a long-awaited and significant step towards protecting the interests of the indigenous people of the state.

AAPSU president Meje Taku said the notification was the result of the union's sustained demand for making PRC and APST certification mandatory in government recruitment.

"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," Taku said.

He urged the APPSC, APSSB and all other recruiting authorities to implement the new criteria in letter and spirit and incorporate them in pending and future recruitment advertisements.

Taku cautioned that AAPSU would closely monitor the implementation of the notification and would not tolerate any attempt to circumvent, dilute or selectively apply the criteria.

"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," he added.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.