ITANAGAR, Nov 22: Call it a New Year gift or anything else, Chief Minister Pema Khandu today made a slew of announcements that would liven up the year-end celebrations this year for sure.
The biggest of the announcements, that would bring a sigh of relief to educated unemployed youths of the state, and more particularly victims of the recent APPSC fiasco, is that the State government has decided to increase the eligible age of APST candidates up to 40 years for appearing APPSC examinations from the present age of 37.
Expressing shock and disgust over the recent paper leakage scam in the state’s top recruiting body, Khandu said the state government is alive to the over-aging concerns of aspirants for no fault of theirs and therefore has decided to increase the age limit.
“It was our government that had increased the age limit for APPSC examinations from 35 to 37 for APSTs. Now we will increase it to 40 for the benefit of all aspirants including those who have been deprived of a fair chance due to few vested interest persons,” Khandu said.
He informed that the State Public Service Commission is in process of complete overhaul and soon a robust and stricter SoP would be in place as is with the staff selection board.
The Chief Minister assured the people that his government will deal with all kinds of corruption with iron hands and warned corrupt officials saying, “I (chief minister) may not have the power to give employment but I still have the power to take it away.”
Attending the Vivekananda Kendra’s 50 years of service to the nation at DK Convention Centre here this evening, Khandu reiterated that the country and the State are in the right direction of progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said people of the state will always be indebted to Mananiya Eknath Ranade, founder of Vivekananda Kendra, for choosing Arunachal Pradesh as the Kendra’s karmabhoomi as early as 1977, when the first set of Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalayas were established in the then Union Territory.
The Kendra today runs 41 schools in Arunachal Pradesh.
Khandu lauded the schools run by the Kendra, particularly the VKVs for providing all round nationalistic education to the tribal children. He said the contribution of VKVs in improving the educational scenario in the State is immeasurable, said an official statement.
