Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 30 July 2025
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Andaman & Nicobar Islands, met the Union Finance Minister in New Delhi on Sunday and submitted a formal appeal seeking a substantial increase in capital allocation for the Union Territory. The MP has also requested a special infrastructure development grant of ₹5,000 crore to address critical gaps in public infrastructure across the Islands.
The detailed letter, addressed to the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Home Minister, and Finance Minister—with copies endorsed to the Lt. Governor, Chief Secretary, and senior officials of the A&N Administration—underscores the long-standing developmental backlog in the territory.
During his meeting, Mr. Ray emphasized the urgent need to boost capital expenditure in the Revised Estimates (RE) 2025–26 and Budget Estimates (BE) 2026–27. He urged the Centre to commit enhanced budgetary support for the next five years, citing the region’s remoteness, strategic significance, and persistent lack of basic infrastructure.
Highlighting key concerns, the MP pointed out that the current capital allocation for 2025–26 stands at just ₹555 crore out of a total ₹6,267 crore budget, leaving merely ₹70 crore for new construction under the APWD. He called this grossly inadequate to serve the developmental needs of over 40 departments operating in the Islands.
“Many tribal and backward areas, particularly in North and Middle Andaman, still lack road connectivity even after more than five decades of settlement,” Mr. Ray said. He noted that nearly 1,300 km of the total 2,500 km of roads across agencies such as APWD, PRIs, and the Municipal Council are either severely damaged or in a state of complete disrepair.
Mr. Ray also drew attention to the underutilization of previously sanctioned special grants, including the ₹279 crore announced by the Prime Minister in 2018, attributing it to weak local implementation and lack of participatory planning due to infrequent District Planning Committee meetings.
In his appeal, the MP proposed four key demands:
1. Preparation of a comprehensive, need-based capital expenditure proposal under RE 2025–26 and BE 2026–27 by the A&N Administration.
2. Enhanced capital funding for the next five years, considering the unique challenges of the Islands.
3. A special infrastructure grant of ₹5,000 crore for rural and urban roads, water pipelines, erosion control, tsunami shelter renovation, health and education infrastructure, and more.
4. Deployment of a multidisciplinary central expert team to assess ground realities and formulate an integrated infrastructure development plan.
Stressing the importance of immediate intervention, Mr. Ray stated, “This financial support is critical to bridging the developmental divide, uplifting rural and tribal communities, and building resilient infrastructure in this strategically vital region.”
He expressed optimism that the Finance Ministry and the Government of India would act on the proposal with urgency and empathy for the welfare of the people of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
