HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Aug 27: The Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society (APWWS) has raised serious concerns about the safety, dignity, and fair treatment of participants of the Miss Arunachal event.
A group from APWWS met with Ramesh Linggi, Director of Youth Affairs, to talk about managing the event and gather important details. Linggi disclosed that the event, which is part of the Chief Minister’s Talent Hunt initiative, was given an increased budget of Rs 80 lakhs in 2019.
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However, there have been controversies surrounding unpaid incentives and allegations of mismanagement. Former Miss Arunachal Tengam Celine Koyu stated that she has not received her incentives, despite the organizing body receiving a disbursement of Rs 10 lakhs in October 2023. The APWWS team inquired about the process for disbursing incentives and found out that no NOC is required, but a recommendation is needed to verify claims.
The organization voiced its concerns regarding the event’s MOU lacking anti-harassment clauses and the absence of internal complaint committees as required by law. They recommended the appointment of a female nodal officer to lead such committees for state events related to women.
APWWS is now urging the Youth Affairs Directorate to take immediate action. Their requests include the swift release of outstanding payments, an unbiased investigation into allegations against the organizers, and the creation of a supervisory panel for women’s events.
The organization also suggested the implementation of Direct Benefit Transfer for incentives and emphasized the importance of adopting best practices in managing state events.
