Arunachal CM cautions new recruits against corruption, stresses accountability in public service

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on November 11 urged newly recruited government employees to uphold integrity, honesty and accountability, warning them against corruption, malpractice and complacency as they take up public service responsibilities.

Khandu was speaking at a function where appointment orders were distributed to around 529 candidates selected through the Junior Engineer Common Recruitment Examination 2025, Trained Graduate Teacher Examination 2026 and Combined Graduate Level Examination 2026.

Addressing the newly appointed employees, the chief minister said government jobs came with the responsibility of serving people and contributing to the state's development. He asked them to perform their duties with sincerity and dedication while remaining accountable to the public.

Highlighting the government's recruitment record over the past decade, Khandu said nearly 10,000 appointment orders had been issued through merit-based selection processes since 2016.

He said the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) had conducted around 87 examinations during this period, leading to approximately 2,914 appointments. The Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB), since its establishment, had conducted 39 examinations and issued appointment orders to around 6,038 candidates.

Khandu said the APSSB was set up to replace department-wise recruitment for Group C and Group D posts with a common and transparent selection mechanism.

Providing details of the latest recruitment exercises, the chief minister said eight candidates with benchmark disabilities, categorised under blindness and low vision, had been recommended for junior engineer posts following a court order.

Their results had been kept in a sealed cover after the examination in 2025, pending directions from the High Court. Following its September 16 order, the commission declared the results, recommending two candidates for the Public Works Department, five for the Public Health Engineering and Water Supply Department, and one for the Power Department.

Congratulating the candidates, Khandu said their appointments would strengthen essential infrastructure sectors, including roads, water supply and electricity networks.

On the Trained Graduate Teacher Examination 2026, he said 10,665 applications had been received for secondary-level teaching posts. More than 10,500 candidates appeared for the written examination held on July 12, of whom 1,116 qualified for the viva-voce.

Following document verification and interviews conducted between September 2 and 25, the authorities recommended 382 candidates against 389 advertised vacancies.

Highlighting the level of competition, Khandu said only around one candidate was selected for every 28 candidates who appeared in the written examination.

He expressed confidence that the newly appointed teachers would help address shortages in schools, particularly in subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, Geography and Economics.

The Combined Graduate Level Examination 2026, conducted by the APSSB, also attracted a large number of applicants. Against the recruitment advertisement issued on March 9, the board received 27,736 applications.

While more than 24,700 candidates downloaded their admit cards, 18,406 appeared for the written examination on August 30. A total of 139 candidates were selected, including 36 personal assistants, two librarians and 101 upper division clerks.

Encouraging young people to pursue higher career opportunities, Khandu urged aspirants to consider appearing for Union Public Service Commission examinations. He said the growing availability of technology and digital learning resources had made competitive examination preparation more accessible.

He also underscored the importance of training in improving administrative efficiency and asked the new recruits to make use of programmes offered by the Administrative Training Institute.

Referring to the state's long-term development targets under Viksit Arunachal Pradesh 2047 and Viksit Bharat 2047, Khandu said government employment should not be viewed as the only avenue for young people to contribute to development. He called for greater participation in entrepreneurship, innovation and the private sector.

The chief minister also announced that appointment orders for assistant professors would be distributed shortly, while further recruitment-related appointments in the police and forest departments were expected in the coming weeks.