Arunachal clears Rs 1,500 cr school mission, Hollongi aero city land rules

The Arunachal Pradesh cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, on Saturday (November 14) cleared a second phase of its school-building drive worth an indicative Rs 1,500 crore, a jobs-for-medallists scheme for athletes, and land rules meant to open up the planned aero city around Donyi Polo Airport at Hollongi.

It also changed rules on delayed public services, town business licences and water-scheme upkeep. The decisions were reported from the cabinet release by The Arunachal Times, IANS and Arunachal24.

Mission Shikshit Arunachal: phase two, smaller and more targeted

The cabinet approved the standard operating procedure (SOP) for Mission Shikshit Arunachal by 2029. It carries an indicative outlay of Rs 1,500 crore spread over three financial years, 2026-27 to 2028-29. That works out to about Rs 500 crore a year for classrooms, school buildings, hostels, science laboratories, libraries and teachers' quarters.

The first phase was much bigger. According to the release, more than 800 schools were upgraded at a cost of Rs 3,612 crore, adding more than 120 hostels, 152 science labs and 159 libraries. Phase two is less than half that amount. The government says it will be used to fill the remaining gaps in each school rather than to spread new buildings around.

The SOP treats each school as the unit of planning. Projects will be identified and ranked district by district, then tracked digitally with geo-tagged photos, financial audits and third-party checks. That matters in a state where many schools sit in remote hill villages.

The infrastructure push follows Arunachal's biggest recruitment drive for teachers this year. On November 11, the state handed appointment orders to 529 recruits, 382 of them teachers.

CM-STARS: a government job for top medallists

Through an amendment to the Arunachal Pradesh Sports Policy, 2017, the cabinet created the Chief Minister's Sports Talent Appointment and Recognition Scheme (CM-STARS). It offers direct government employment to athletes from the state who win medals at the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Asian Para Games or Commonwealth Games.

The cabinet says it wants to give athletes career security and keep them in sport as coaches and administrators. As reported, the list covers only those five multi-sport Games. Titles at single-sport championships are not on it, such as the Commonwealth karate gold won by Arunachal's Khya Tai Bengde in Glasgow this month. Rules on grade of post and eligibility have not yet been published.

Penalties for late public services

The cabinet amended the 2017 service-delivery rules under the Arunachal Pradesh Right to Public Services Act, 2016. Appeals can now be filed online and will be escalated automatically when a notified service is not delivered on time. Citizens can claim compensation for delays, and the money can be recovered directly from the official at fault, The Arunachal Times reported. The release did not give the compensation amounts.

One licence fewer for town businesses

Establishments in 28 categories inside municipal areas will no longer need a separate municipal trade licence if they already hold a valid licence or registration from a central or state authority. Fire, building and sanitation rules still apply.

It follows the Arunachal Pradesh Jan Vishwas Amendment Act, 2026, which decriminalised minor offences.

Keeping Har Ghar Jal taps running

A revised operation and maintenance policy for rural and urban water supply puts gram panchayats and Village Water and Sanitation Committees in charge of village-level parts of the schemes. It takes in the 19 points sent by the Union Jal Shakti ministry.

Arunachal was the first Northeast state, and the 10th in India, to reach 100 per cent Har Ghar Jal coverage under the Jal Jeevan Mission, with more than Rs 4,500 crore spent over 2016-26, according to the release. The new policy is about keeping those connections working once the construction money stops.

Hollongi Aero City: land on lease, not for sale

The cabinet notified the Arunachal Pradesh Airport Development Authority Land Disposal Rules, 2026, under this year's Airport Area Development Authority Act. Land held by the authority around Donyi Polo Airport at Hollongi, the capital's airport that opened in 2022, will stay in public ownership and be given out on lease. The rules include revenue-sharing leases, digital land allotment and rehabilitation measures.

The government is hoping for commercial, housing, logistics and hotel projects. As Arunachal24 noted, how rehabilitation is handled will be closely watched, because land is a sensitive issue in the state. That is clear from the months of protest over the Siang dam.

The cabinet also cleared a satellite and drone mineral-mapping pact between the Geology and Mining department and the state space applications centre, higher timber royalty rates, and new posts.

What to watch

• The district-wise list of schools for phase two, and whether the third-party verification reports are made public.
• The CM-STARS notification: which posts, at what grade, and whether past medallists qualify.
• The lease rates and the first allotments under the Hollongi land rules.