OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: The Arunachal Pradesh government on Friday decided to constitute four high-powered committees to examine issues related to APST certificate re-verification, non-APST offspring, strengthening of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) framework and illegal infiltration.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu announced the decision after discussions with the Arunachal Indigenous Tribes Forum (AITF), the All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU), the ST Bachao Andolan Committee, community-based organisations, government officials and legal experts.
Khandu stated that the committees would study the issues and recommend suitable measures. He said official notifications constituting the panels would be issued by Monday.
The decision followed a series of consultations, including an eight-hour meeting chaired by the chief minister on May 27 and another consultative session held at the civil secretariat in Itanagar on Friday.
Officials said a high-powered mechanism involving representatives of the ST Bachao Andolan Committee, AAPSU and AITF, along with legal experts and research scholars, would support the review process and provide recommendations.
Each committee will be headed by a cabinet minister and will include representatives from indigenous organisations, women representatives, legal experts and research scholars to ensure an inclusive process.
The four panels will separately examine re-verification of Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe certificates, issues concerning non-APST offspring, strengthening of the ILP framework including review of the ILP Guidelines 2026, and concerns relating to illegal infiltration.
Stakeholders and government representatives also agreed to continue discussions, with another round of talks scheduled for Monday.
Officials said the committees had been given an initial six-month timeframe to submit their recommendations, though the duration could be extended depending on field studies and consultations. The state government will also hold three review meetings under the chairmanship of the chief minister to monitor the progress of the exercise.
Also Read: Arunachal Pradesh to set up Separate ILP Department: CM Pema Khandu