Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday said his government has formed four high-level committees to examine infiltration issues, strengthen the inner line permit system, re-verify ST certificates and protect the rights of indigenous people.
Khandu said the committees were constituted in line with the resolutions adopted in the consultative meetings, held on May 27 and 29 under his chairmanship, on issues relating to rights of indigenous tribes, Scheduled Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, IWP framework and related concerns.
Khandu said the committees include representatives of the All India Tribal Federation, All Arunachal Pradesh Students Federation, Arunachal ST Bachao Andolan Committee, legal experts, scholars and government officials to ensure a broad-based and participatory approach in addressing the issues.
To address concerns about infiltration and illegal immigrants, the government has set up a high-level committee headed by Environment and Forestry Minister Wangqi Luang, an official order said.
The committee was mandated to study the extent of infiltration and migration in the state and recommend measures to strengthen border control, biometric and digital verification systems, and take action against forged identity documents and undocumented settlement networks.
The committee was also tasked with proposing administrative and legal measures to reduce illegal immigration and strengthen existing guarantees within the constitutional and legal framework.
It will submit its recommendations to the government within six months of its first meeting.
In order to strengthen the Inner Line Permit system, the government formed another committee headed by Minister of Agriculture and Horticulture Gabriel D. Wangsu.
The Committee will examine the current system for issuing, monitoring and verifying ILPs, review the 2026 ILP Guidelines and recommend restructuring measures to strengthen the framework.
It was also tasked with proposing technology-driven mechanisms for issuing and monitoring ILP, developing a robust verification process, and recommending the appropriate categories for issuing such permits to tourists, visitors and workers.
The government also set up a committee headed by Education Minister Pasang Dorji Sona to examine revalidation of ST certificates and related matters.
The Committee will review the current system of issuance, monitoring and verification of ST certificates, including the guidelines notified in 2022.
The committee will recommend a robust methodology for ST verification, suggest amendments to existing guidelines, propose advanced security features, digital and biometric verification systems, village-level audit mechanisms and district-level verification procedures.
It was also asked to recommend legal and administrative action against forged or illegally obtained ST certificates and fraudulent claims of tribal status.
Another committee, chaired by Law Minister Kento Gini, was formed to study issues relating to non-tribal lineage claims, protection of indigenous rights and related matters.
The commission will examine the current system governing the acquisition and protection of tribal rights, identify loopholes that allow these rights to be abused or acquired indirectly, and recommend legal and administrative safeguards related to tribal identity, inheritance, lineage verification, indigenous land protection, and reservation benefits.
It is also tasked with proposing measures to prevent abuse of tribal protections through document tampering or indirect claims and recommending legal action against illegally acquired tribal rights.
The government orders stipulate that all four committees have been mandated to request reports, data and status updates from departments and district administrations, and must submit their recommendations within six months of their first meetings.
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