As of the2011 Census of India, Arunachal Pradesh has a population of 1,383,727 and an area of 83,743 square kilometres (32,333 sq mi). With only 17 inhabitants per square kilometre, it has the least population density in India. It is an ethnically diverse state, with predominantlyMonpa people in the west,Tani people in the centre,Mishmi andTai people in the east, andNaga people in the southeast of the state. About 23 major tribes and 100 sub-tribes live in the state,[citation needed] includingNocte,Adi,Nyishi,Singpho,Galo,Tagin,Apatani. The Nyishi are the largest ethnic group in the region. The Mishmi tribe has three sub-tribes, namely Idu-Mishmi, Digaru-Mishmi and Miju-Mishmi.
Etymology
Arunachal Pradesh meansLand of the Dawn-Lit Mountains, which is thesobriquet for the state inSanskrit.[21] The term was coined during the formation of the state. Prior to the year 1972, it was calledNorth-East Frontier Agency.
Very little ancient history is known about the region apart from the Northwestern corner, and the areas bordering currentAssam. The Northwestern regions came under Monpa andTibetan control.
Northwestern parts of this area came under the control of the Monpa kingdom of Monyul under Tibet which flourished between 500 BCE and 600 CE. TheMonpa andSherdukpen keep historical records of the existence of local chiefdoms in the northwest as well.[24]
According to Tibetan chronicles, Monyul was ruled by Gongkar Gyal, descendent of an exiled Tibetan ruler namedLhase Tsangma, the brother of Tibetan kingRalpacan who arrived in Monyul in 837 A.D or earlier.[25]
A descendant of Gongkar Gyal became the ruler of Trashiyangtse region of Bhutan and Gapde Tsan another descendant was the ruler of Khorwong valley inThembang town (nowWest Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh).[26]
Thembang dzong built during the 12th century, a type of dzong commonly found in Bhutan and Tibet
Later, the second son of Gongkar Gyal, Wongme Palde who returned to Tibet owing to the poverty in Khorwong valley came back to Monyul to become its ruler.[26]
The Rgyal rigs text written in 1668 or 1728 contains a record of taxes collected. Taxes were paid via coins, foodstuffs, or livestock from area around present-dayKameng district andTawang district.[27]
The Monpas (Tibetan:མོན་པ) ་known to theChinese asMenba[28] were responsible for trade between Assam and Tibet and held the Koriapar Dooar atSonitpur district ofAssam. The Monpa chief were subordinate to the ruler ofTawang who in turn were subordinate to theGovernment of Tibet or Ganden Phodrang inLhasa.[29] The Tibetan government at Lhasa appointed Tibetan officials called Gellongs to supervise the local Monpa chief. The Monpa chief who looked after the Duar were called Tsorgon, a position created in the 16th century.[29]
According to historical Tibetan text the state of Arunachal Pradesh known as Lhoyu came under the control of Tubo Kingdom orTibetan Empire in the 7th century CE.[30]
Arunachal Pradesh under the Tibetan Empire in 7th and 8th century CE
In the 17th century, the 5th Dalai LamaNgawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617–1682), who achieved political supremacy over Tibet in 1642, imposed a tax calledKhrey over Monyul and instructed the construction of fortresses in Monpa area calledDzong which served as centers for administration and tax collection.[32]
The fortressess built were Dirang Dzong, Taklung Dzong and Gyangkhar Dzong to collect tax from theDirang Monpa,Kalaktang Monpa andTawang Monpa respectively. The officials who collected the taxes were calledDzongpon.[32]
The tax was carried to Tawang Monastery and then to Lhasa viaTsona city (present-day China).[32]
The foothills and the plains, were under the control of theChutia kings ofAssam. Inner parts of the state remained independent and self-governed even though interactions with external parties did exist.[33]
The main archaeological sites of the state include:[34]
In 1912–13, theBritish Indian government established theNorth-East Frontier Tracts. It was divided into three sections, which eventually came to be called the Ballipara Frontier Tract, Lakhimpur Frontier Tract and Sadiya Frontier Tract.[45]
In 1913–1914, representatives of thede facto independent state of Tibet and Britain met in India to define the borders of 'Outer Tibet' (with respect to China). British administratorSir Henry McMahon drew the 550 miles (890 km)McMahon Line as the border betweenBritish India and Tibet, placingTawang and other areas within British India. The Tibetan and British representatives devised theSimla Accord including the McMahon Line,[46] but the Chinese representatives did not concur.[47] The Simla Accord denies other benefits to China while it declines to assent to the Accord.[48]
The Chinese position was that Tibet was not independent from China and could not sign treaties, so the Accord was invalid, like theAnglo-Chinese (1906) andAnglo-Russian (1907) conventions.[49] British records show that the condition for the Tibetan government to accept the new border was that China must accept the Simla Convention. As Britain was not able to get an acceptance from China, Tibetans considered the McMahon line invalid.[47]
In the time that China did not exercise power in Tibet, the line had no serious challenges. In 1935, a Deputy Secretary in the Foreign Department,Olaf Caroe, "discovered" that the McMahon Line was not drawn on official maps. TheSurvey of India published a map showing the McMahon Line as the official boundary in 1937.[50] In 1938, two decades after the Simla Conference, the British finally published the Simla Accord as a bilateral accord and the Survey of India published a detailed map showing the McMahon Line as a border of India.
In April 1938, a small British force led by Captain G. S. Lightfoot arrived in Tawang and informed the monastery that the district was now Indian territory.[51] The Tibetan government atLhasa protested and its authority was restored after Lightfoot's return.
In 1944, Britain established administrations in the area, from Dirang Dzong in the west toWalong in the east. Administrative control extended over the area of the Tawang tract lying south of theSela Pass whenJ.P. Mills set up anAssam Rifles post atDirangDzong and sent the Tibetan tax-collectors packing. Tibetan protests were brushed aside. However, no steps were taken to evict Tibet from the area north of the pass which contained Tawang town.[52] The Tawang district remained under Tibetan authority until 1951.
Following the conclusion of British rule, India gained independence in 1947, while the People's Republic of China (PRC) was founded in 1949. The new Chinese administration maintained the position that the McMahon Line was not valid.[47]
In October 1947, independentTibet wrote a note to the Government of India asking for a "return" of the territories that theBritish had allegedly occupied from Tibet. Among these were listedZayul andWalong and in direction ofPemakoe, Lonag, Lopa, Mon,Bhutan,Sikkim,Darjeeling. After negotiation with the Indian government, Tibet relinquished claims on these territories.[53][54][55]
In November 1950, the PRC was poised to take overTibet by force, and India supported Tibet. Journalist Sudha Ramachandran argued that China claimed Tawang on behalf of Tibetans, though Tibetans did not claim Tawang as part of Tibet.[56]
In February 1951, India sentRalengnao Khathing ofManipur with a small escort and several hundred porters to Tawang and took control of the remainder of the Tawang tract from the Tibetans, removing the Tibetan administration.[57][b]The Indian efforts were warmly welcomed by the native population as a respite from the oppressive feudal regime.[citation needed]
What is now Arunachal Pradesh was established as theNorth-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) in 1954.Sino-Indian relations were cordial until 1960. Resurgence of the border disagreement was a factor leading to theSino-Indian War in 1962, during which China captured most of Arunachal Pradesh, including the Tawang tract.[59][60][61] China soon declared victory, withdrew back to theMcMahon Line, and returned Indian prisoners of war in 1963.[59][60][61]
The war resulted in the termination ofbarter trade with Tibet, although since 2007 the Indian government has shown signs of wanting to resume barter trade.[62]
Renaming and statehood
Under the leadership ofIndira Gandhi, The North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) was renamed Arunachal Pradeshby Bibhabasu Das Shastri, Daya Krishna Goswami and O. P. Upadhya[citation needed] on 20 January 1972, and it became aunion territory. Later on, Arunachal Pradesh became a state on 20 February 1987 duringRajiv Gandhi's government.[63]
NB: K A A Raja, as Chief Commissioner to NEFA, underAssam, whose Capital used to beShillong, later on went to become the first Lieutenant Governor to the Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh.[64]
Recent claims
The14th Dalai Lama did not originally recognise India's sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh. As late as 2003, he said that "Arunachal Pradesh was actually part of Tibet".[65] In January 2007, the Dalai Lama said that both Britain and Tibet had recognised the McMahon Line in 1914. In 2008, he said that Arunachal Pradesh was a part of India under theagreement signed by Tibetan and British representatives.[66] According to the Dalai Lama, "In 1962 during the India-China war, thePeople's Liberation Army (PLA) occupied all these areas (Arunachal Pradesh) but they announced a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew, accepting the current international boundary".[67]
In recent years, China has occasionally asserted its claims onTawang. India rebutted these claims and told the Chinese government that Tawang is an integral part of India. India reiterated this to China when the two prime ministers met inThailand in October 2009. A report that theChinese Army had briefly invaded Arunachal Pradesh in 2016 was denied by India'sMinister of State for Home Affairs,Kiren Rijiju.[68] In April 2017, China strongly objected to a visit to Tawang by the Dalai Lama, as it had to an earlier visit by the US ambassador.[69] China had objected to the Dalai Lama's previous visits to the area.[70]
In 2024,The New York Times reported that, according tosatellite imagery, China had constructed villages along and inside of disputed territory within Arunachal Pradesh.[71] Chinese individuals, called "border guardians", received annual subsidies to relocate to newly built villages and paid to conduct border patrols.[71]
Arunachal Pradesh has faced threats from insurgent groups, notably theNational Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), who are believed to have base camps in the districts ofChanglang andTirap.[72] These groups seek to decrease the influence of Indian government in the region and merge part of Arunachal Pradesh intoNagaland.
Arunachal Pradesh is located between 26.28° N and 29.30° N latitude and 91.20° E and 97.30° E longitude and has an area of 83,743 km2 (32,333 sq mi).
The highest peak in the state isKangto, at 7,060 metres (23,160 ft). Nyegi Kangsang, the mainGorichen peak, and the Eastern Gorichen peak are other tall Himalaya peaks. The state's mountain ranges, in the extreme East of India, are described as "the place where the sun rises" in historical Indian texts and named the Aruna Mountains, which inspired the name of the state. The villages ofDong (more accessible by car, and with a lookout favoured by tourists) andVijaynagar (on the edge of Myanmar) receive the first sunlight in all of India.
A view fromBhalukpong, a small town by the southern reaches of the Himalayas.
Major rivers of Arunachal Pradesh include theKameng,Subansiri, Siang (Brahmaputra),Dibang,Lohit andNoa Dihing rivers. Subsurface flows and summer snow melt contribute to the volume of water. Mountains until the Siang river are classified as the Eastern Himalayas. Those between the Siang and Noa Dihing are classified as theMishmi Hills that may be part of theHengduan Mountains. Mountains south of the Noa Dihing inTirap andLongding districts are part of thePatkai Range.
Climate
The climate of Arunachal Pradesh varies with elevation. The low-altitude areas have ahumid subtropical climate. High-altitude areas (3,500–5,500 m) have asubtropical highland climate and alpine climate. Arunachal Pradesh receives 2,000 to 5,000 millimetres (79 to 197 in) of rainfall annually,[73] 70%–80% obtained between May and October.
Biodiversity
Arunachal Pradesh has among the highest diversity of mammals and birds in India. There are around 750 species of birds[74] and more than 200 species of mammals[75] in the state.
Ziro valley
Arunachal's forests account for one-third of habitat area within the Himalayan biodiversity hot-spot.[76] In 2013, 31,273 km2 (12,075 sq mi) of Arunachal's forests were identified as part of a vast area of continuous forests (65,730 km2 or 25,380 sq mi, including forests in Myanmar, China and Bhutan) known asIntact forest landscapes.[77] There are three tiger reserves in the state: a reserve inNamdapha National Park, Mouling National Park andPakke Tiger Reserve.[78]
Flora
In the year 2000, Arunachal Pradesh was covered with 63,093 km2 (24,360 sq mi) of tree cover[79] (77% of its land area). It harbours over 5,000 plants.[80] At the lowest elevations, essentially at Arunachal Pradesh's border withAssam, areBrahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests. Much of the state, including the Himalayan foothills and the Patkai hills, are home toEastern Himalayan broadleaf forests. Toward the northern border with Tibet, with increasing elevation, come a mixture ofEastern andNortheastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests followed byEastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows and ultimately rock and ice on the highest peaks. It supports many medicinal plants and within Ziro valley of Lower Subansiri district 158 medicinal plants are being used by its inhabitants.[81] The mountain slopes and hills are covered with alpine, temperate, and subtropical forests of dwarfrhododendron,oak,pine,maple andfir.[82] The state hasMouling andNamdapha national parks.
Arunachal Pradesh comprises three divisions, namely, Central, East and West, each headed by adivisional commissioner and twenty-five districts, each administered by adeputy commissioner. Arunachal Pradesh has a total of 28 districts, West Siang being the largest district in terms of area and Tawang being the smallest district. Papum is the largest district in terms of population and Diwang Valley is the smallest district.[88]
As per the 2011 Census, Arunachal Pradesh has 12Scheduled Tribes, comprising 68.79% of its population. The state can be roughly divided into a set of semi-distinct cultural spheres, on the basis of tribal identity, language, religion and material culture: theTibetic-speakingMonpa area borderingBhutan in the west, theTani area in the centre of the state, theMishmi area to the east of the Tani area, theTai/Singpho/Tangsa area bordering Myanmar, and theNaga area to the south, which also borders Myanmar. In between there are transition zones, such as theAka/Hruso/Miji/Sherdukpen area, between the Tibetan Buddhist tribes and the animistTani hill tribes. In addition, there are isolated peoples scattered throughout the state, such as the Sulung.
An Adigaon-bura (village headman) in G.B.Simong village of the Upper Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh
Within each of these cultural spheres, one finds populations of related tribes speaking related languages and sharing similar traditions. In the Tibetic area, one finds large numbers of Monpa tribespeople, with several subtribes speaking closely related but mutually incomprehensible languages, and also large numbers of Tibetan refugees. Within theTani area, major tribes include theNyishi.Apatani also live among theNyishi, but are distinct. In the north one find the Tagin People. In the centre, one finds predominantlyGalo people, with the major sub-groups of Karka, Lodu, Bogum, Lare and Pugo among others, extending to the Ramo and Pailibo areas (which are close in many ways to Galo). In the east, one finds theAdi with many subtribes includingPadam, Pasi,Minyong andBokar, among others.Milang, while also falling within the general Adi sphere, are in many ways quite distinct. Moving east, theIdu,Miju andDigaru make up theMishmi cultural-linguistic area.
Moving southeast, theTaiKhamti are linguistically distinct from their neighbours and culturally distinct from the majority of other Arunachalese tribes. They follow theTheravada sect of Buddhism. They also exhibit considerable convergence with theSingpho andTangsa Naga tribes of the same area, all of which are also found in Burma. They are one of the most recent people group migrated to Arunachal region from Burma. TheNocte Naga andWancho Naga are another two major ethnic tribes. Both the tribes exhibit very much cultural similarities. Finally, theDeori tribe is also a major community in the state, with their own distinctive identity. They are the descendants of the priestly class ofChutia people who were allowed to continue their livelihood after the defeat of the Chutias. Deoris are one of the only Arunachal tribes in the historical records – which shows they are among the first ethnic groups to inhabit the Himalayas of the districts of Dibang Valley and Lohit, before the arrival of many other tribes in the region between 1600 and 1900.
According to the 2011 Indian Census, 418,732 (30.26%) areChristians, 401,876 (29.04%) areHindus, 162,815 (11.77%)Buddhists, 27,045 (1.95%)Muslims, 3,287 (0.24%)Sikhs, 771 (0.06%)Jains and 362,553 (26.20%) are adherents of various tribals belief includingDonyi-Polo.[95] However, the religious landscape of Arunachal Pradesh is diverse with no single religious group representing the majority of the population, although it is one of the few Indian states whereChristianity has the most followers. A relatively large percentage of Arunachal's population are nature worshippers (indigenous religions), and follow their own distinct traditional institutions like the Nyedar Namlo by theNyishi, theRangfrah by theTangsa &Nocte, Medar Nelo by theApatani, the Kargu Gamgi by theGalo and Donyi-Polo Dere by theAdi under the umbrella of the indigenous religion theDonyi-Polo. A small number of Arunachali people have traditionally identified asHindus,[96] although the number may grow as animist traditions are absorbed into Hinduism.Tibetan Buddhism predominates in the districts ofTawang,West Kameng, and isolated regions adjacent toTibet.Theravada Buddhism is practised by groups living near theMyanmar border. Around 30% of the population are Christians.[97]
Buddhism arrived in Arunachal Pradesh in 8th century CE from Tibet.[98]
In 1971, the percentage of Christians in the state was 0.79%. This increased to 10.3% by 1991 and by 2011 it had crossed 25%.[99]
Hindi is spoken by 62.8% (nearly 0.9 million) of the state population as a primary, secondary, or additional language, serving as thelingua franca for diverse ethnolinguistic social groups.[101]
The vast majority of Arunachal Pradesh speaksTani languages of theTibeto-Burman language family.Tani people are indigenous to central Arunachal Pradesh, including (moving from west to east) theNyishi, theApatani, theTagin, theGalo, theBokar, theAdi, thePadam, the Pasi, and theMinyong. The Tani languages are noticeably characterised by an overall relative uniformity, suggesting relatively recent origin and dispersal within their present-day area of concentration. Most of theTani languages are mutually intelligible with at least one other Tani language, meaning that the area constitutes adialect chain, as was once found in much of Europe; onlyApatani andMilang stand out as relatively unusual in the Tani context. Tani languages are among the better-studied languages of the region.[citation needed]
To the east of the Tani area lie three virtually undescribed and highly endangered languages of the "Mishmi" group of Tibeto-Burman:Idu,Digaru andMishmi people. A number of speakers of these languages are also found inTibet. The relationships of these languages, both among one another and to other area languages, are as yet uncertain. Further south, one finds theSingpho (Kachin) language, which is primarily spoken by large populations inMyanmar'sKachin State, and theNocte andWancho languages, which show affiliations to certainNaga languages spoken to the south in modern-dayNagaland.
To the west and north of the Tani area are found at least one and possibly as many as fourBodic languages, includingDakpa andTshangla language; within modern-day India, these languages go by the cognate but, in usage, distinct designations Monpa andMemba. Most speakers of these languages or closely related Bodic languages are found in neighbouringBhutan andTibet, and Monpa and Memba populations remain closely adjacent to these border regions.[citation needed]
Between the Bodic and Tani areas lie many almost completely undescribed and unclassified languages, which, speculatively considered Tibeto-Burman, exhibit many unique structural and lexical properties that probably reflect both a long history in the region and a complex history of language contact with neighbouring populations. Among them areSherdukpen,Bugun,Hruso,Koro,Miji,Bangru andPuroik/Sulung. The high linguistic significance these languages is belied by the extreme paucity of documentation and description of them, even in view of their highly endangered status. Puroik, in particular, is perhaps one of the most culturally and linguistically unique and significant populations in all of Asia from proto-historical and anthropological-linguistic perspectives, and yet virtually no information of any real reliability regarding their culture or language can be found in print.[citation needed]
Finally, other than the Bodic and Tani groups, there are also certain migratory languages that are largely spoken by migratory and central government employees serving in the state in different departments and institutions in modern-day Arunachal Pradesh.[citation needed] They are classified as Non-Tribal as per the provisions of theConstitution of India.
Outside of Tibeto-Burman, one finds in Arunachal Pradesh a single representative of theTai family, spoken byTai Khamti, which is closely affiliated to theShan language ofMyanmar'sShan State. Seemingly, Khampti is a recent arrival in Arunachal Pradesh whose presence dates to 18th and/or early 19th-century migrations from northernMyanmar.[citation needed]
In addition to English, various Indo-Aryan languagesAssamese,Bengali,Nepali and especiallyHindi are making strong inroads into Arunachal Pradesh. Primarily as a result of the primary education system—in which classes are generally taught by Hindi-speaking migrant teachers fromBihar and other Hindi-speaking parts of northern India, a large and growing section of the population now speaks a semi-creolised variety of Hindi as a mother tongue. Hindi acts as a lingua franca for most of the people in the state.[102] Despite, or perhaps because of, the linguistic diversity of the region, English is the only official language recognised in the state.
Education
Literacy has risen in official figures to 66.95% in 2011 from 54.74% in 2001. The literate population is said to number 789,943. The number of literate males is 454,532 (73.69%) and the number of literate females is 335,411 (59.57%).[103]
The chart below displays the trend of the gross state domestic product of Arunachal Pradesh at market prices by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in billions of Indian Rupees.[citation needed]
Year
Gross Domestic Product (Billion ₹)
1980
1.070
1985
2.690
1990
5.080
1995
11.840
2000
17.830
2005
31.880
2010
65.210
2015
155.880
Arunachal Pradesh'sgross state domestic product was estimated at US$706 million at current prices in 2004 and US$1.75 billion at current prices in 2012. Agriculture primarily drives the economy. Jhum, the local term used for shifting cultivation is being widely practised among the tribal groups, though owing to the gradual growth of other sources of income in the recent years, it is not being practised as prominently as it was earlier. Arunachal Pradesh has close to 61,000 km2 of forests, and forest products are the next most significant sector of the economy. Among the crops grown here are rice, maize, millet, wheat, pulses, sugarcane, ginger, and oilseeds. Arunachal is also ideal for horticulture and fruit orchards. Its major industries are rice mills, fruit preservation and processing units, and handloom handicrafts.Sawmills and plywood trades are prohibited under law.[104] There are many saw mills in the state.[105]A significant portion of India's unexplored hydroelectric capacity is attributed to Arunachal Pradesh. In 2008, the Arunachal Pradesh government entered into several memoranda of understanding with multiple companies, outlining around 42 hydroelectric projects intended to generate over 27,000 MW of electricity.[106] Construction of theUpper Siang Hydroelectric Project, which is expected to generate between 10,000 and 12,000 MW, began in April 2009.[107]
The main highway of Arunachal Pradesh is theTrans-Arunachal Highway,National Highway 13 (1,293 km (803 mi); formerly NH-229 and NH-52). It originates inTawang and spans most of the width of Arunachal Pradesh, then crosses south intoAssam and ends atWakro. The project was announced by then Prime MinisterManmohan Singh in 2008 for completion by 2015–16, but only became operational in 2018.
NH-15 through Assam follows the southern border of Arunachal Pradesh. Access to central Arunachal Pradesh has been facilitated by theBogibeel Bridge, an earthquake-resistant rail and road bridge over theBrahmaputra River in Assam, opened for public use on 25 December 2018 by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. A spur highway numberedNH-415 services Itanagar.
As of 2007[update], every village is connected by road, thanks to funding provided by the central government. Every small town has its own bus station with daily bus service. Connections toAssam have increased commerce.
Arunachal Pradesh got its first railway line in late 2013 with the opening of the new link line from Harmuti on the mainRangpara North–Murkongselak railway line to Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh. The construction of the 33-kilometre5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)broad-gauge railway line was completed in 2012, and the link became operational after the gauge conversion of the main line from Assam. The state capital Itanagar was added to the Indian railway map on 12 April 2014 via the newly built 20-kilometre Harmuti-Naharlagun railway line, when a train from Dekargaon inAssam reachedNaharlagun railway station, 10 kilometres from the centre of Itanagar, a total distance of 181 kilometres.[121][122]
On 20 February 2015, the first through train was run from New Delhi to Naharlagun, flagged off from the capital by the Indian prime minister,Narendra Modi. India plans to eventually extend the railway toTawang, near the border with China.[123]
The state government is expanding the relatively underdeveloped education system with the assistance of NGOs likeVivekananda Kendra, leading to a sharp improvement in the state's literacy rate. The main universities are theRajiv Gandhi University (formerly known as Arunachal University), under which come 36 institutions offering regular undergraduate courses as well as teacher education and health sciences and nursing degrees, both under governmental and private managements,Indira Gandhi Technological and Medical Sciences University andHimalayan University[124] as well. The first college, Jawaharlal Nehru College, Pasighat, was established in 1964. The First Technical University is Established in 2014 namelyNorth East Frontier Technical University (NEFTU). In Aalo, West Siang District by The Automobile Society India, New Delhi. There is also adeemed university, theNorth Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology as well as theNational Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh, established on 18 August 2010, is located inYupia (headquarter of Itanagar).[125] NERIST plays an important role in technical and management higher education. The directorate of technical education conducts examinations yearly so that students who qualify can continue on to higher studies in other states.
Wangcha Rajkumar Government College,Deomali[126] is the only college in the southeastern part of Arunachal Pradesh. It caters to the students fromTirap,Changlang andLongding districts.
There are also trust institutes, like Pali Vidyapith, run by Buddhists. They teach Pali andKhamti scripts in addition to typical education subjects.Khamti is the only tribe in Arunachal Pradesh that has its own script. Libraries of scriptures are in a number of places inLohit district, the largest one being inChowkham.
The state has two polytechnic institutes:Rajiv Gandhi Government Polytechnic in Itanagar established in 2002 and Tomi Polytechnic College in Basar established in 2006. There are two law colleges, namely, the private-owned Arunachal Law Academy at Itanagar and the government-owned Jarbom Gamlin Government Law College at Jote, Itanagar. The College of Horticulture and Forestry is affiliated to theCentral Agricultural University,Imphal.
Arunachal Pradesh sufferedpolitical crisis between April 2016 and December 2016. TheIndian National Congress Chief MinisterNabam Tuki replacedJarbom Gamlin as theChief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on 1 November 2011 and continued until January 2016. After a political crisis in 2016,President's rule was imposed ending his tenure as the chief minister. In February 2016,Kalikho Pul became the Chief Minister when 14 disqualified MLAs were reinstated by theSupreme Court. On 13 July 2016, the Supreme Court quashed the Arunachal Pradesh GovernorJ.P. Rajkhowa's order to advance the Assembly session from 14 January 2016 to 16 December 2015, which resulted in President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh. As a result, Nabam Tuki was reinstated as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on 13 July 2016. But hours before floor test, he resigned as the chief minister on 16 July 2016. He was succeeded byPema Khandu as the INC Chief Minister who later joined PPA in September 2016 along with majority of MLAs. Pema Khandu further joined BJP in December 2016 along with majority of MLAs. Arunachal Pradesh becomes second northeast Indian state to achieveODF status.[127]During 2017, 2021, and 2023, China compiled a list of name alterations for multiple locations in Arunachal Pradesh, in both Chinese and Tibetan languages. China asserts these areas as belonging to "Southern Tibet" and being integral parts of China. The proposed changes encompassed 11 alterations, covering geographical landmarks like mountain summits and rivers, as well as residential zones.[128] The Indian government has continued to reject Chinese claims of geographical ownership of parts of Arunachal Pradesh. National military forces on both sides have increased over the Indian-Chinese border.[14]
On 28 August 2023, China further provoked India when the PRC's Ministry of Natural Resources released its new 'standard map' in which Arunachal Pradesh was depicted as a part of PRC. Other internationally disputed lands and waters were also depicted as PRC territory on their new map.[128]
Namsai Organic Spices and Agricultural Producer Company Limited from Lohit, proposed the GI registration of Arunachal Pradesh Khaw Tai (Khamti Rice). After filing the application in December 2021, the rice was granted the GI tag in 2023 by the Geographical Indication Registry inChennai, making the name "Arunachal Pradesh Khaw Tai (Khamti Rice)" exclusive to the rice grown in the region. It thus became the first rice variety from Arunachal Pradesh and the 3rd type of goods from Arunachal Pradesh to earn the GI tag. The GI tag protects the rice from illegal selling and marketing, and gives it legal protection and a unique identity.
^Nanda 2020, p. 30: "Tawang, Dirang and parts of Western Kameng of Arunachal Pradesh, were historically and territorially (traditionally) part of the 'Monyul'."
^"Arunachal Pradesh: Physiography, At a glance".gbpihedenvis.nic.in. Hosted by: G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development. Sponsored by: Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt of India. ENVIS Centre on Himalayan Ecology.Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved23 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^"Appendix-A: Detailed tables, Table (7): Literacy rate (in per cent) of persons of different age groups for each State/UT (persons, age-group (years): 7 & above, rural+urban (column 6))".Annual Report, Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) (July 2023 – June 2024)(PDF). National Sample Survey Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India. 23 September 2024. pp. A-10.
^Taylor Fravel, M. (14 September 2008).Strong Borders, Secure Nation. Princeton University Press. pp. 326–327.ISBN978-0-691-13609-7.Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved2 August 2023.The territorial dispute between China and India concerns three sectors. The eastern sector includes 90,000 square kilometers south of the McMahon Line and north of what China claims as Tibet's customary boundary, effectively the present-day Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, previously known as the North Eastern Frontier Agency. India claims that the frontier here was delimited by the McMahon Line drawn at the 1913–14 Simla Conference. China does not recognize the McMahon Line itself or any of the documents from this conference, which it never ratified. In addition, as the line itself was drawn directly on a map, it lacks a precise delimitation. Historically, Tibet had administered the area around Tawang in the far western portion of this sector, where the sixth Dalai Lama was born, and claimed additional areas on the southern slope. After independence in 1947, India moved to assert its authority, slowly administering this region in the early 1950s and in some cases replacing local Tibetan officials.
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^Choudhury, A. U. (2009). "One more new species of giant flying squirrel of the genus Petaurista Link, 1795 from Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India".The Newsletter & Journal of the Rhino Foundation NE India.8:27–35.
^Choudhury, A. U. (2013). "Description of a new species of giant flying squirrel of the genus Petaurista Link, 1795 from Siang basin, Arunachal Pradesh in North East India".The Newsletter & Journal of the Rhino Foundation for Nat. In NE India.9:30–38.
^abHimalayan Times, "China Provokes India, includes Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin in new 'standard map' ", p.3, 30 August 2023.Asian News International, Beijing, 29 August 2023.
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