Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 05 December 2025
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Andaman & Nicobar Islands, met the Additional Secretary (UT) at the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi and submitted a reminder letter seeking expedited action on several major public issues earlier raised with the Ministry.
During the meeting, the MP thanked the Ministry for resolving multiple long-pending demands and urged similar priority for the remaining issues.
Key points submitted by the MP include:
- Domicile-Based Employment: Introduction of a domicile law to provide job reservation for local residents based on the Local Residence Certificate, similar to the Union Territory of Ladakh.
- Increase in Age Limit for Recruitment: Fixing the upper age limit at 40 years for Group-B (Non-Gazetted) and Group-C posts under the UT Administration. The MP noted that the current age limits—33 years for men and 38 years for women—are inconsistent with the Ladakh model.
- Increased Budget Allocation: Enhancement of annual UT budget under the capital head and a special development grant of ₹5,000 crore for infrastructure projects including roads, bridges, PRIs, drainage systems and urban planning ahead of the 2027 Municipal and Panchayat elections.
- Constitution of OBC Commission: Formation of the OBC Commission to review and include left-out groups such as Ranchi settlers, ex-servicemen settlers, Kerala settlers, fishermen settlers, and Sri Lankan repatriates.
- Restoration of PRI and Municipal Powers: Reinstatement of funds, powers and functionaries to PRIs and Municipal bodies, which were allegedly withdrawn without proper authority, contrary to the provisions of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments.
- Convene Advisory Meeting: Immediate convening of the mandatory Home Ministry Advisory Meeting, which has not been conducted since 2018 despite annual requirements under a Presidential Notification issued on 29 October 2016.
- Salary Revision for MNREGA Staff: Approval of revised salary structures for MNREGA staff, for which the UT Administration has already submitted a proposal.
- Compensation for Affected Farmers: Early sanction and release of compensation to farmers whose land was submerged due to sea ingress, as recommended by the Vivek Rae Committee report submitted in 2017.
- Anti-Defection Rules: Timely implementation of anti-defection provisions under the A&N Islands Municipal Regulation and submission of model rules for approval.
- Review of Industrial Estate Policy 2025: Re-examination of provisions in the Industrial Estate Policy notified on 28 February 2025, which the MP stated was issued without proper consideration of stakeholder objections.
- Approval for Passenger Ships: Expedited approval for procurement of four new passenger-cargo ships with capacity for 500 passengers and 150 tonnes of cargo each, as proposed by the UT Administration on 13 October 2025.
The Additional Secretary assured the MP that the Ministry is actively reviewing the pending matters and will consider them appropriately.
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray reiterated that he continues to adopt a result-oriented approach through formal communication, parliamentary representation and persistent follow-up, which has led to the resolution of several key public issues in recent months.
