Arunachal women's society questions management of Miss Arunachal event, meets Youth Affairs Director

The Arunachal Pradesh Women's Welfare Society (APWWS) has raised serious concerns about the Miss Arunachal event, citing issues affecting participants' safety, dignity, and fair treatment. A delegation from APWWS met with Ramesh Linggi, Director of Youth Affairs, to discuss the event's management and seek crucial information.

Linggi revealed that the event, part of the Chief Minister's Talent Hunt initiative, received an increased allocation of Rs 80 lakhs in 2019. However, controversies have emerged regarding unpaid incentives and allegations of mismanagement.

Former Miss Arunachal Tengam Celine Koyu reported non-payment of her incentives, despite a Rs 10 lakh disbursement to the organising body in October 2023. The APWWS team questioned the incentive disbursement process, learning that no NOC is required, but a recommendation is needed to authenticate claims.

The society expressed concern over the absence of anti-harassment clauses in the event's MOU and the lack of internal complaint committees as mandated by law. They suggested appointing a female nodal officer to chair such committees for women-related state events.

APWWS is now calling for immediate action from the Youth Affairs Directorate. Their demands include prompt release of pending payments, an impartial inquiry into allegations against organisers, and the establishment of a monitoring panel to oversee women's events.

The society also proposed implementing Direct Benefit Transfer for incentives and stressed the need to adopt best practices in state event management.