China face-off:Assam border dispute dominate in news of Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar: Face-off between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the border state, efforts for early resolution of disputed areas along its border with Assam, State Public Service Commission paper leak case , dominated the news. from Arunachal Pradesh throughout the year.

The northeastern state was also in the news for helicopter crashes, floods and landslides. The state government has earmarked 2022 as the year of e-governance with 22 people-based initiatives, making the state a leader in e-governance across the country.
In early December, Indian and Chinese troops clashed along the LAC in Tawang sector and the encounter resulted in “minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides”. The incident took place near the Yangtse along the LAC in the sensitive Tawang sector amid the more than 30-month-long border standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh.

The clash took place within a month of the anniversary of the 1962 border war between India and China. The Arunachal border is disputed by the Chinese, who have increased their military presence on the border over the past few years.
Efforts to resolve the decades-old border dispute between Arunachal Pradesh and Assam got a new impetus this year when the two states signed the “Namsai Declaration” on July 15, reducing the number of disputed villages from 123 to 86.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu said, “The Namsai Declaration is of utmost importance and a historic step towards sustainable brotherhood, peace and prosperity in the North East.”
This year, apart from three rounds of regional committee level meetings, several rounds of district committee level meetings were also held between the two states.
The first round of regional level talks was held in Namsai, followed by the second in Dibrugarh and the third in Guwahati.

The two northeastern states share a border of 804.1 km.

Arunachal Pradesh, which was made a Union Territory in 1972, has alleged that several forest areas in the plains that traditionally belonged to its hill tribal chiefs and communities were unilaterally transferred to Assam. had gone.

After Arunachal Pradesh was granted statehood in 1987, a tripartite committee was appointed which recommended that some areas be transferred from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh.

Assam contested the recommendation and the matter is pending in the Supreme Court.
The alleged paper leak in the examination conducted by the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) came to light after a candidate lodged a complaint with the police. As a result, the Assistant Engineer (Civil) examinations conducted by the commission were affected. More than 400 candidates appeared in the exam held on 26 and 27 August.

In October, the state government handed over the case to the CBI. On December 8, the probe agency filed a charge sheet against 10 accused in the District and Sessions Court at Yupia near here.
The case was initially investigated by the capital police and later transferred to the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) of the state police.

Ten persons, including the APPSC Deputy Secretary cum Deputy Controller of Examinations, have been arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in the paper leak case. APPSC chairman Nipo Nabam also resigned on October 14 due to the scandal.

The state government also ordered a separate review of all examinations conducted by the SIC since 2014 by the commission.
SIC has so far arrested thirty four people in this case.

The state cabinet on December 22 gave its approval for a separate departmental inquiry into the APPSC paper leak case, which would be independent of the ongoing SIC and CBI investigations.

It was also decided that the state government would request the High Court to designate a court exclusively for the matter.

In recognition of the efforts of whistleblowers who exposed the paper leak, the Cabinet decided to frame rules for the immediate implementation of the Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014.

The year also saw tragedy in the state when six army personnel lost their lives in two separate helicopter crashes in the state in 2022.
On October 21, five soldiers died in a helicopter crash near Mugung village in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Siang district.

An Indian Army pilot lost his life when a Cheetah helicopter crashed near Tawang on October 5.

The state government launched three new vertical Atmanirbhar Plantation, Atmanirbhar Pasupalan and Atmanirbhar Matsypalan Yojanas during the year – and allocated Rs 310 crore as front-end subsidy, which will benefit 15,000 farmers and 500 self-help groups across the state.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu said, “To achieve the goal of Atma Nirbhar Arunachal, we have adopted a five-pillar approach of Krishi, Gardening, Plantation, Pushupalan and Matsyapalan.”
Floods and landslides also hit the bordering Himalayan state, killing at least 20 people during the year. More than 200 houses were damaged by the flood and more than 100,000 people were affected.

Over 20 militants belonging to various outfits were arrested during counter-insurgency operations in the state during the year while five insurgents were killed in a gun battle with security forces.