17 October 2026
The Union Cabinet approved the investment proposal for the 1,720 MW Kamala Hydro Electric Project in the Kamle, Kra Daadi and Kurung Kumey districts of Arunachal Pradesh, with an outlay of Rs.26,069.50 crore.
The project will have eight units of 210 MW each and one unit of 40 MW, and is expected to generate 6,870 MU of energy.
It will be built by NHPC Limited through a joint venture with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, over a completion period of 96 months.
Central budgetary support includes Rs.4,743.98 crore for the flood moderation component and Rs.1,340 crore for enabling infrastructure such as roads, bridges and transmission.
Central financial assistance of Rs.750 crore will go towards the State's equity share, and the State will get 12 per cent free power plus 1 per cent for the Local Area Development Fund.
About 196 km of roads and bridges will be built, with Rs.8 crore of dedicated project funds for hospitals, schools and marketplaces.
Capacity:
1,720 MW
Outlay:
Rs.26,069.50 crore
Districts:
Kamle, Kra Daadi and Kurung Kumey
Completion period:
96 months
Free power to the State:
12 per cent
Why it matters for exams: A Cabinet investment approval with capacity, outlay, districts, executing agency and the free-power formula all in one place.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NHPC NHPC Limited — The central public sector company that builds and runs most of India's large hydroelectric projects.
MU Million Units — A million kilowatt-hours of electricity, the usual unit for annual generation.
17 October 2026
The Government of India and the Government of Arunachal Pradesh signed Memorandums of Agreement at Itanagar to revive twelve stalled hydroelectric projects of about 11,517 MW.
The projects were allotted to hydro public sector undertakings under the Union Ministry of Power.
NEEPCO received five projects of 2,620 MW, SJVN five projects of 5,097 MW and NHPC two projects of 3,800 MW.
The largest are the Etalin project of 3,097 MW with SJVN, Subansiri Upper of 2,000 MW with NHPC, Subansiri Middle, also called Kamala, of 1,800 MW with NHPC, and Naying of 1,000 MW with NEEPCO.
The projects had first been allotted to private developers about fifteen years earlier but never got started.
They are expected to attract about Rs.1,26,500 crore of investment.
Projects revived:
12
Total capacity:
about 11,517 MW
SJVN share:
5 projects, 5,097 MW
Expected investment:
about Rs.1,26,500 crore
Why it matters for exams: Maps the central hydro PSUs to Arunachal's biggest projects, a standard question on north-eastern hydropower.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NEEPCO North Eastern Electric Power Corporation — The central public sector power company for the north-eastern region.
17 October 2026
The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, approved Rs 6728.33 crore for the construction of eight stretches totalling 305.50 km on National Highway-913 in Arunachal Pradesh.
National Highway-913 is the Frontier Highway.
The stretches will be built to Intermediate Lane Road standard on Engineering, Procurement and Construction mode.
The road will connect sparsely populated areas of Upper Arunachal.
The approval was announced in a release issued on 29 February 2024.
The Frontier Highway is being built in packages, each separately sanctioned.
Amount approved:
Rs 6728.33 crore
Length:
305.50 Km
Stretches:
8
Highway:
National Highway-913
Why it matters for exams: Fixes the number of the Frontier Highway and one of its sanctioned amounts and lengths.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
EPC Engineering, Procurement and Construction — A contracting mode in which the government pays a contractor to design and build the road and retains it.
17 October 2026
The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, sanctioned Rs. 6621.62 crore for the construction of 265.49 Km in eight packages on National Highway-913 in Arunachal Pradesh.
National Highway-913 is the Frontier Highway, and the sanctioned work is transitioning to an Intermediate Lane configuration on Engineering, Procurement and Construction mode.
The named sections are Huri-Taliha, Bile-Migging, Kharsang-Maio-Gandhigram-Vijaynagar and Bomdila-Nafra-Lada.
The sanction was announced in a release issued on 12 March 2024.
It came within weeks of an earlier approval of Rs 6728.33 crore for 305.50 Km of the same highway.
The Frontier Highway is thus being sanctioned stretch by stretch rather than as a single contract.
Amount sanctioned:
Rs. 6621.62crore
Length:
265.49 Km
Packages:
eight
Sections named:
Huri-Taliha, Bile-Migging, Kharsang-Maio-Gandhigram-Vijaynagar, Bomdila-Nafra-Lada
Why it matters for exams: Names the actual sections of the Frontier Highway, which is what place-based questions test.
Kerala PSCUPSC
17 October 2026
The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, sanctioned Rs 626.92 crore for the construction of package-1 of NH-913, the Frontier Highway, in Arunachal Pradesh.
The package covers the 35 km Sarli-Huri section.
It lies in Kurung Kumey district.
The work is to be executed on Engineering, Procurement and Construction mode.
The stated purposes are to improve traffic flow and security, to provide year-round access to villages, and to support socio-economic development in the hilly areas of the district.
The sanction was announced in a release issued on 6 February 2024.
Amount:
Rs 626.92 crore
Length:
35 km
Section:
Sarli-Huri, package-1
District:
Kurung Kumey
Why it matters for exams: A single named package of the Frontier Highway, with its district, length and cost.
Kerala PSCUPSC
17 October 2026
A reply by the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in the Rajya Sabha set out the national highway position in Arunachal Pradesh.
Thirty-three projects covering 604 km and costing Rs 7,828 crore are under construction in the State.
Three projects of 53 km costing Rs 471 crore were completed in 2024-25.
Thirty-five projects covering 1,238 km and costing Rs 27,344 crore are approved but not yet started.
The allocation for national highway development and maintenance in the State for 2024-25 was Rs 2,287 crore.
All under-construction national highway projects in Arunachal Pradesh are scheduled to be completed by 2027.
Under construction:
33 projects, 604 km, Rs 7,828 crore
Completed in 2024-25:
3 projects, 53 km, Rs 471 crore
Approved, not started:
35 projects, 1,238 km, Rs 27,344 crore
2024-25 allocation:
Rs 2,287 crore
Why it matters for exams: A figure-dense official stock-take of road building in a border State, answered on the floor of the Rajya Sabha.
Kerala PSCUPSC
17 October 2026
The Prime Minister virtually dedicated the Sela Tunnel to the nation from Itanagar on 9 March 2024, during the Viksit Bharat Viksit North East programme.
The tunnel was built by the Border Roads Organisation at a cost of Rs 825 crore and lies at an altitude of 13,000 feet.
It is on the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang Road, which runs across the Sela Pass, and it is located in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.
The tunnel connects Tezpur in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
It was built using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method, with the foundation stone laid on 9 February 2019 and construction beginning on 1 April 2019.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju were present at the ceremony.
Cost:
Rs 825 crore
Altitude:
13,000 feet
Road:
Balipara - Chariduar - Tawang Road
District:
West Kameng
Builder:
Border Roads Organisation
Why it matters for exams: One of the most asked border infrastructure facts, with its road, district, altitude, cost and builder.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
BRO Border Roads Organisation — The body that builds and maintains roads in India's border areas, under the Ministry of Defence.
NATM New Austrian Tunnelling Method — A tunnelling technique that uses the surrounding rock itself as part of the support structure.
17 October 2026
The Prime Minister inaugurated Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar, the first greenfield airport of Arunachal Pradesh, on 19 November 2022.
He had laid its foundation stone in February 2019.
The airport was developed at a cost of more than Rs 640 crore over an area of over 690 acres.
Its runway is 2,300 metres long and is suitable for all-weather day operations.
In the airport's name, Donyi means the Sun and Polo means the Moon, reflecting the region's indigenous reverence for both.
The terminal is a modern building that promotes energy efficiency, with renewable energy and resource recycling.
Cost:
more than Rs. 640 crore
Area:
over 690 acres
Runway:
2,300 m
Meaning of the name:
Donyi means the Sun, Polo means the Moon
Why it matters for exams: The name's meaning plus the cost, area and runway length make this a standard one-mark fact.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Greenfield airport Greenfield airport — An airport built from scratch on a new site, as against expanding an existing one.
17 October 2026
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, launched the Vibrant Villages Programme at Kibithoo, a border village in Arunachal Pradesh.
The central contribution is Rs 4,800 crore for the financial years 2022-23 to 2025-26, of which Rs 2,500 crore is for road connectivity.
The programme identified 2,967 villages for comprehensive development.
These lie in 46 blocks across 19 districts.
The States and Union Territory covered are Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
The launch took place at Kibithoo on 10 April 2023.
Central contribution:
Rs 4,800 crore
For road connectivity:
Rs 2,500 crore
Villages identified:
2,967
Blocks and districts:
46 blocks, 19 districts
Launch village:
Kibithoo, Arunachal Pradesh
Why it matters for exams: The scheme's launch village, outlay, village and block counts and the five units it covers are all examinable.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Before the Constitution of India was promulgated, the area was called the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) and was administered under the Government of India Act 1935. On 26 January 1950 the Ministry of External Affairs took over the administration of NEFA from the Government of Assam, the Governor of Assam acting as the representative of the President. The area was divided into five Frontier Divisions, the first of which was the Kameng Frontier Division, and administrative control passed to the Ministry of Home Affairs with effect from 1 August 1965. On 21 January 1972 the territory was reconstituted as the Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh under Section 7 of the North Eastern Area Re-Organisation Act 1971. On 15 August 1975 the Union Territory Act 1963 was applied to it, the former Pradesh Council became the Provisional Legislative Assembly, and the Administrator became the Lt. Governor. On 20 February 1987 the Union Territory was reconstituted as the State of Arunachal Pradesh. The State's own Public Service Commission followed on 4 April 1988, set up under Article 315 of the Constitution.
Earlier name:
North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA)
Union Territory from:
21 January 1972
Reconstituted as a State:
20 February 1987
State Public Service Commission:
4 April 1988
Why it matters for exams: Examiners regularly ask which state was earlier the North-East Frontier Agency, and the three dates of 1972, 1975 and 1987 separate the Union Territory stage from statehood in a way objective papers like to test.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NEFA North-East Frontier Agency — The name the region carried before it became a Union Territory.
Pradesh Council — The advisory body that preceded the territory's Provisional Legislative Assembly.
Article 315 — The constitutional provision under which a Public Service Commission exists for the Union and for each State.
Background
Several districts of Arunachal Pradesh are named not after towns but after the rivers that run through them, which makes the district map a rough map of the drainage. The West Kameng district administration records that the district's name is derived from the Kameng River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra that flows through it, and that the district accounts for 8.86% of the total area of the state. The East Siang district administration records that the name of the district is derived from the Mighty River Siang and gives the district an area of 3603 sq.km. Siang itself was later made a district: the district administration describes it as the 21st district of Arunachal Pradesh, created by bifurcating West Siang and East Siang districts. On the eastern side, Lohit district takes the name of the Lohit river and has an area of 3735 sq/km, with Tezu as the headquarter; Anjaw District was bifurcated from Lohit District on 16th February 2004, with its headquarter at Hawai at an altitude of 1296m above sea level, and Namsai district was carved out of Lohit District in 2014 and became the 18th District of the state. Kamle District was officially created on 15th December 2017, carved out from the Lower Subansiri and Upper Subansiri districts, which carry the name of the Subansiri.
West Kameng share of state area:
8.86%
East Siang area:
3603 sq.km.
Lohit area and headquarter:
3735 sq/km; Tezu
Anjaw headquarter altitude:
Hawai, 1296m
Why it matters for exams: A plain list of districts is easy to forget, but the river-to-district link lets a candidate place a headquarter such as Tezu or Hawai on a drainage map and answer both geography and administration questions from the same fact.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Tributary — A river that flows into a larger river rather than into the sea.
Bifurcation — Splitting an existing district to create a new one.
Background
The Changlang district administration describes Namdapha as a National Park and Tiger Reserve covering an area of 1985.23 square kilometres, lying within Changlang District in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Mouling National Park, on the other side of the state, was established in 1982 and lies on the right bank of river Siang covering an area of 483 Sq. KM, as the Upper Siang district administration records. The national list of tiger reserves maintained by the National Tiger Conservation Authority records three reserves in Arunachal Pradesh: Namdapha, Pakke and Kamlang. For Namdapha the list gives a core of 1,807.82 sq km and a buffer of 245.00 sq km, a total of 2,052.82 sq km. Pakke is entered with a core of 683.45 sq km and a buffer of 515.00 sq km, a total of 1,198.45 sq km. Kamlang, the most recent of the three, is entered with a core of 671.00 sq km and a buffer of 112.00 sq km, a total of 783.00 sq km. Namdapha is described by the district administration as a true wilderness of lush green vegetation and pristine forests with diverse flora and fauna.
Namdapha, area given by the district administration:
1985.23 square kilometres
Mouling National Park:
Established 1982; 483 Sq. KM
Tiger reserves in the state:
Namdapha, Pakke, Kamlang
Pakke core and buffer:
683.45 and 515.00 sq km
Why it matters for exams: Protected-area questions are a standing part of environment papers, and Arunachal Pradesh is the one state where candidates routinely confuse the national park with the tiger reserve of the same name because the two figures differ.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Core area — The strictly protected inner zone of a tiger reserve.
Buffer area — The outer zone of a tiger reserve where regulated human use is allowed.
NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority — The statutory body that maintains the national list of tiger reserves.
Background
The Government of Arunachal Pradesh describes the state as the Land of dawn-lit mountains. Its own profile of the state groups the communities broadly. One group follows the Lamaistic tradition of Mahayana Buddhism, with the Membas and Khambas culturally close to them, while the Khamptis and the Singphos of the eastern part follow the Hinayana sect. A second group takes in the Nyishis, the Apatanis, the Adis, the Mishmis, the Tagins, the Mijis, the Akas, the Sulungs (Puroik) and the Khowas; the Tani peoples among them, the Apatanis, the Nyishis, the Adis, the Galos and the Tagins, worship the Sun (Donyi) and the Moon (Polo). A third group comprises the Noctes, the Tangsas and the Wanchoos of Tirap and Changlang districts, known for their masculine dances and their art of woodcarving. The important festivals listed are Mopin of the Galos, Solung of the Adis, Losar of the Monpas, Dree of the Apatanis, Si-Donyi of the Tagins, Nyokum of Nyishis and Reh of the Idu Mishmis. On language, all the tribal languages of the state except Khampti belong to the Tibeto-Burman family, while the Khampti language belongs to the Tai group of the Chinese Siamese family; English is the official language of the state, and Hindi and Assamese serve as the lingua franca. The literacy rate on the same record, as per the 2011 Census, is 65.38%.
Official language:
English
Language family of the tribal languages:
Tibeto-Burman, except Khampti
Sun and Moon worshipped by the Tani peoples:
Donyi and Polo
Literacy rate (2011 Census):
65.38%
Why it matters for exams: Festival-to-tribe matching is a standard objective format, and the Khampti exception to the Tibeto-Burman rule is exactly the kind of single outlier an examiner builds a question around.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Donyi-Polo — The worship of the Sun and the Moon followed by the Tani peoples of the state.
Tibeto-Burman — The language family to which almost all the tribal languages of the state belong.
Lingua franca — A common language used between people who do not share a mother tongue.
Background
Arunachal Pradesh does not have a High Court of its own; it is served by a Permanent Bench of the Gauhati High Court. The President of India, by order dated July 18, 2000, notified the establishment of a Permanent Bench of the Gauhati High Court at Itanagar, and provided that such Judges of the Gauhati High Court, being not less than one in number, as the Chief Justice of that High Court may from time to time nominate shall sit there. The same order has a proviso: the Chief Justice may, in his discretion, order that any case or class of cases arising in the State of Arunachal Pradesh shall be heard at Guwahati. The Gauhati High Court (Establishment of a Permanent Bench at Itanagar) order, 2000 came into force on the 12th day of August, 2000, and the Bench was inaugurated at Naharlagun, some distance from the capital town of Itanagar. The first sitting on a working day was held at 10:30 A.M. on August 14, 2000. Entry into the state is regulated through the Inner Line Permit. The Government of Arunachal Pradesh records that the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system is an offshoot of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation by which an Inner Line was prescribed for the tribal areas, and that an ILP is an official document issued by the government allowing travel into a protected or restricted area for a certain period of time. The same record places the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation in 1873 and notes the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958 alongside it.
High Court serving the state:
Gauhati High Court, Itanagar Permanent Bench
Seat of the Bench:
Naharlagun
Order came into force:
12th day of August, 2000
Basis of the Inner Line Permit:
Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation 1873
Why it matters for exams: Candidates are often asked which High Court has jurisdiction over which north-eastern state, and the proviso allowing cases from Arunachal Pradesh to be heard at Guwahati is the detail that separates a bench from a separate High Court.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Permanent Bench — A standing seat of a High Court outside its principal seat, not a separate High Court.
Proviso — A clause in a law or order that carves out an exception to what the main provision says.
ILP Inner Line Permit — A document issued by the government allowing travel into a protected or restricted area for a fixed period.
Background
The 2,880 MW Dibang Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project of Arunachal Pradesh is to come up near Munli village in Lower Dibang Valley District. The Ministry of Power records that the project will have a 278-metres-high dam, which would be the highest Concrete-Gravity Dam of India, and that it is planned to be constructed with the Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) technique, making it the highest RCC Dam of the World. The project is to be built at a cost of more than Rs. 31,875 crores. It is designed to generate 11,223 million units of hydropower every year, to be fed into the Northern Grid, with a construction period of 108 months. The project is designed as an energy storage project, with flood moderation as one of the key objectives besides power generation; for flood moderation a capacity of 1,282.60 Million Cubic Meters is to be created by keeping the reservoir below the Full Reservoir Level in the monsoon. Arunachal Pradesh is to receive 12% free power from the project, together with an additional 1% free power for a Local Area Development Fund. The project is stated to have the potential of providing direct employment to 500 people during the construction phase and to 300 people during operation.
Installed capacity:
2,880 MW
Dam height and type:
278-metres-high Concrete-Gravity Dam
Annual generation:
11,223 million units
Free power to the state:
12% plus 1% for Local Area Development Fund
Why it matters for exams: Hydropower in the north-east is a recurring economy and infrastructure theme, and the free-power share of twelve per cent plus one per cent for local area development is the standard arrangement a candidate should be able to explain.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
RCC Roller Compacted Concrete — A dam-building technique in which stiff concrete is spread and compacted in layers by rollers.
Flood moderation — Holding back part of a river's monsoon flow in a reservoir so that the peak downstream is reduced.
Million units — A unit of electricity output; one million units equals one gigawatt-hour.
Background
This background sits behind the hydropower and highway decisions now being taken for Arunachal Pradesh, all of which are decisions of a full State.
The area was known as the North-East Frontier Agency, or NEFA, until 1972.
In 1972 it became a Union Territory and was renamed Arunachal Pradesh.
It attained full statehood on February 20, 1987, which is observed as its Statehood Day.
The State has 27 districts.
It is home to over 100 tribes and sub-tribes, and the main State celebration of Statehood Day is held at IG Park in Itanagar, with the Governor as Chief Guest.
Former name:
North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA)
Became a Union Territory:
1972
Statehood:
February 20, 1987
Districts:
27
Tribes and sub-tribes:
over 100
Why it matters for exams: The NEFA-to-State sequence, the district count and the tribe count are the three facts most asked about this State.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NEFA North-East Frontier Agency — The name borne by the territory now called Arunachal Pradesh until 1972.
Background
This is the legislature that sits behind the State's hydropower and highway decisions reported today.
The Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly was set up in 1975.
It began with 33 members: 30 directly elected from single-seat constituencies and 3 nominated by the Union government.
After Arunachal Pradesh gained statehood on February 20, 1987, the House was expanded to 60 seats.
Sixty remains the strength of the House today.
The Assembly marked 50 years since its inception with a month-long golden jubilee celebration that closed with a special sitting.
Assembly set up:
1975
Original strength:
33 members, 30 elected and 3 nominated
Present strength:
60 seats
Why it matters for exams: The jump from 33 to 60 seats at statehood is a precise, examinable fact about a north-eastern legislature.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
This is the protected-area background to the hydropower and highway projects now being sanctioned across Arunachal Pradesh.
Namdapha was a Wildlife Sanctuary from 1972.
It was declared both a National Park and a Tiger Reserve in 1983, under Project Tiger.
In 1986, 177.425 sq. km of reserved forest was added to the Tiger Reserve.
The reserve is named after the Namdapha River, which rises from Daphabum, its highest peak.
More than 60 per cent of the protected area is unexplored, and the reserve records the tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, snow leopard, Hoolock gibbon, red panda, Mishmi takin, the Namdapha flying squirrel and the Namdapha shortwing.
Wildlife Sanctuary from:
1972
National Park and Tiger Reserve:
1983
Reserved forest added in 1986:
177.425 sq. km
Highest peak:
Daphabum
Why it matters for exams: Namdapha's three dates, its river and peak, and its two endemic species are standard environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Project Tiger Project Tiger — The central conservation programme under which tiger reserves are notified and funded in India.