Guwahati: Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika formally distributed Permanent Resident Certificates (PRCs) to 118 Moran families on Friday during a programme held in Tinsukia district of upper Assam.
“The Tinsukia District Administration organized the distribution ceremony in collaboration with the All Moran Students’ Union, Assam Moran Sabha, and other organisations. We held the event at Balijan Public Auditorium, Philobari,” Hazarika stated on X.
The Assam Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, made the decision earlier to restore recognition and equal rights to the indigenous Moran community members who have lived in parts of Arunachal Pradesh for generations without proper documentation.
“I’m pleased to distribute caste certificates to members of the Moran community residing along the Assam–Arunachal Pradesh border, who are permanent residents of Assam or have ancestral roots in the state. For years, the Moran community in the border areas faced various challenges. The issuance of caste certificates today fulfils a long-pending demand, realised through the sincere efforts of Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr. @himantabiswa Dangoriya,” Cabinet Minister Pijush Hazarika posted on X on Thursday.
The Moran families, primarily concentrated in the Lohit, Namsai, and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh, have long suffered because authorities classified them as non-APST (non-Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe).
This classification deprived them of access to various government documents and benefits, despite their ancestral ties predating Arunachal Pradesh’s formation as a separate state.
The affected Moran families trace their roots back to the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) era, before it became Arunachal Pradesh.
Although they are part of Assam’s indigenous fabric, the lack of proper documentation excluded them from benefits available to other Moran people residing in Assam.
With the government issuing Permanent Resident Certificates, these 118 families will now receive the same privileges as their counterparts in Assam, including access to government employment, education, economic benefits, and social welfare schemes.