Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 03 January 2025
In 2016, the Andaman and Nicobar Administration last invited applications for the inclusion of spouses and children of Islanders in the Islander Card Database. The applications were invited in the prescribed format (FORM A) initially from October 15 to December 5, 2016. The deadline for submission was later extended to December 16, 2016.
The applications submitted by December 16, 2016, were scrutinised, and claims and objections were invited. After resolving all claims and objections, the final Islander Card Database was updated in 2017. Based on this updated database, Islander Cards were issued, and later, the Smart Card-Based Islander Cards were launched in 2019.
The Smart Card-Based Islander Cards are also being issued only to those whose names appear in the Islander Card Database last updated in 2017. However, spouses of Islanders married after the cutoff period in 2016 and children born after the cutoff period in 2016 have not been included in the database and, therefore, are ineligible for receiving the Islander Cards.
The non-inclusion of these spouses and children has become a serious issue in the Islands, as they are deprived of several benefits associated with the Islander Card. One of the key issues is concessionary travel for helicopters and ships. Spouses of Islanders who were not included in the 2016 database are unable to avail themselves of the Islander Fare and are forced to pay the Non-Islander Fare, which is significantly higher. This has become a burden, particularly for residents of remote islands who frequently need to travel to Sri Vijaya Puram for medical and other essential services.
Political leaders from Nicobar District, South Andaman, and North and Middle Andaman have repeatedly urged the Administration to update the Islander Card Database. They argue that the last update was several years ago, and thousands of spouses and children are missing out on the benefits due to the lack of inclusion in the database.
The latest demand comes from Mr. R. Someswara Rao, Councillor of Ward No. 2 of Sri Vijaya Puram Municipal Council. He has called for the inclusion of spouses and children of Islanders in the Islander Card Database and for the issuance of Islander Cards to these individuals.
