Editor,
The present scheme of 80 per cent reservation of jobs and seats in educational institutions for APST candidates is indeed a great move, but the remaining 20 per cent under the UR category, free to be filled by anyone from anywhere in India, puts the non-tribals, who are sometimes 4th or 5th generation residents of the state, in a serious disadvantage, due to the fact that their socioeconomic condition is several times similar to that of APSTs. Although the present scheme may be suitable for central government jobs, the state government needs to be much more empathetic in its approach, in my opinion, as is the case in other states. Assam has protection for locals, including those in the UR category.
Hence, if the eligibility criteria were to be modified in such a way that Aadhaar card-linked address, indicating local domicile, were to become mandatory for UR category posts within the 20 per cent bracket, it would safeguard the interests of non-tribals residing in Arunachal Pradesh for generations, such as the people of Lekang and Chowkham circles.
Somsher Limbu
