Itanagar, Oct 11 — The Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, on Sunday approved a series of decisions aimed at strengthening higher and technical education, improving healthcare services, expanding support for women in distress, and streamlining administrative and institutional frameworks across the state.
A senior official of the Chief Minister's Office said that the state Cabinet approved uniform and merit-based recruitment rules for several teaching and technical positions in government engineering and polytechnic colleges.
In a significant step towards standardising recruitment procedures in technical education institutions, the Cabinet approved recruitment rules for 12 categories of posts in government engineering and polytechnic colleges in accordance with the applicable All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Regulations, 2019.
The decision is expected to bring greater uniformity, transparency and consistency to the recruitment process in technical education institutions across the state, the official added.
He said that by aligning the recruitment rules with the applicable AICTE regulations, the state government aims to strengthen the institutional framework of engineering and polytechnic colleges and ensure that appointments are made in accordance with prescribed standards.
To strengthen support for women facing distress and emergencies, the state Cabinet approved the creation of 20 posts to operationalise the Women Helpline-181 scheme in accordance with the guidelines of Mission Shakti.
The Women Helpline-181 is a toll-free, round-the-clock service designed to provide emergency assistance and immediate response to women in distress.
The helpline is intended to connect women requiring assistance with a range of essential services, including medical care, shelter, legal aid, emotional support and guidance, the official noted.
The creation of the 20 posts is expected to facilitate the effective functioning of the service and strengthen the support mechanism for women facing emergencies, violence or other difficult circumstances.
The official said that in the healthcare sector, the state Cabinet approved an enhancement of grade pay for different categories of posts under the National Leprosy Elimination Programme (NLEP) in the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
The decision aims to address concerns relating to wage parity and fairness among employees working under the programme.
An official statement said that the state government expects the enhancement of grade pay to improve staff morale and productivity while strengthening the delivery of patient care and rehabilitation services.
The National Leprosy Elimination Programme plays an important role in the prevention, detection and treatment of leprosy, as well as in supporting affected persons through healthcare and rehabilitation services, it added.
In another healthcare-related decision, the state Cabinet approved the creation of five posts of Food Safety Officer and the new posts are intended to address manpower shortages in the state's food-law enforcement machinery and strengthen the monitoring and enforcement of food-safety regulations, the statement said.
The additional personnel are expected to improve the state's capacity to monitor compliance with food-safety standards and take necessary enforcement measures to protect public health.
Strengthening the food-safety workforce is also expected to support more effective implementation of the relevant laws and regulations governing food quality and safety across Arunachal Pradesh, the statement added.