Dorjee Khandu, who was sworn in as chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh at Itanagar on Sunday, may not have had the privilege of having good education. But having studied up to only Class VIII, and that too in the Bhoti language, did not prevent him from making it big in life.

“Those days there weren’t much education facilities. Even today, my state does not have enough good schools and colleges. And that is why education is one of my topmost priorities,” said Khandu, a day before being sworn in for the second time as chief minister of the frontier state.

Arunachal Pradesh, in fact, has only seven colleges apart from a university and a regional institute of science and technology. Khandu wants to set up a college in each of the 16 districts.

Elected for the fifth time to the Assembly (and thrice unopposed) since 1990, Khandu began his career in the Indian Army Intelligence Core. He served there for more than seven years and received a gold medal for meritorious intelligence services during the Bangladesh War.

After he was out of the Army, he involved himself in social activities after which he was picked up by the Congress.

Khandu was first elected uncontested as district vice-president of the West Kameng Zilla Parishad in 1983-87.

He has been a minister since 1995, first a minister of state for cooperation. Since 1996 he has been a cabinet minister, first for animal husbandry, veterinary and dairy development, and then for power, until on April 9 2007, he replaced Gegong Apang to become the state’s fifth chief minister.

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