Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 12 April 2025
The movement for 100% job reservation for the Islanders of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is gathering renewed strength, with growing support from civil society groups, community leaders, and now elected representatives. A third strategic meeting to push the demand is scheduled for 4 PM today at the Local Born Association office, and will be attended by the Member of Parliament, Andaman and Nicobar Islands—marking a significant development in the campaign.
The movement has seen two major meetings in quick succession over the past week. The first was convened on 9 April 2025 at the Local Born Association office, where various local organisations came together to express unanimous support for exclusive job reservation for Islanders in government employment within the Union Territory. The second meeting, held on 11 April, further consolidated this growing coalition, with additional organisations from across the Islands joining the fold and contributing their perspectives on the issue.
In a significant step forward, organisers have also called for a public meeting on 18 April 2025 at Tiranga Park, inviting all Islanders to participate and lend their voices to the movement.
The call for 100% job reservation is rooted in long-standing concerns over equitable opportunities and socio-economic justice for the Islander Population of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Activists argue that due to geographical isolation, the region continues to face systemic educational disadvantages. Many parts and areas of Andaman and Nicobar Islands still lack access to quality education—making it difficult for local youth to compete with job applicants from the mainland.
“The playing field is not level,” said one organiser. “When children in remote islands are denied the same quality of schooling, how can we expect them to secure government jobs on the same terms as someone from Delhi or Chennai?”
Adding to the urgency is the concern over demographic and ecological sustainability. Community leaders argue that unrestricted recruitment from mainland India leads not only to population influx but also to long-term settlement, placing further strain on the fragile ecology and limited resources of the Islands.
The demand for exclusive job reservation for Islanders is not new. Over the years, it has surfaced repeatedly, often gaining traction before fading due to lack of political will or bureaucratic inertia. However, this time, organisers say the momentum is different—and more determined.
In the inaugural meeting, leaders reportedly pledged to pursue the implementation of 100% job reservation by the end of 2025. The presence of the Member of Parliament in today’s meeting is expected to add crucial weight to that pledge, possibly setting the stage for formal policy-level engagement with the central government.
With a growing chorus of voices, strategic meetings, and a public meeting on the horizon, the Islanders’ fight for job reservation appears to be entering a decisive phase—one that may shape the future of employment and identity in this distant, diverse, and vulnerable Union Territory.