Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 31 October 2025
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has written to the Hon’ble Union Home Minister, Mr. Amit Shah, and the Hon’ble Lt. Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, urging the administration to conduct a re-survey and issue Islander Cards to all genuine residents who were inadvertently excluded during the previous survey.
In his representation, Mr. Ray pointed out that a large number of genuine islanders, including settlers and long-term residents, are facing severe hardship due to the non-availability of Islander Cards. The absence of these cards, he noted, has deprived many families of crucial welfare benefits and concessions such as subsidized ship and helicopter fares, financial assistance under various government schemes, and eligibility for bank loans.
Highlighting the importance of the Islander Card as a key document establishing the identity and entitlements of permanent residents, the MP stated that despite possessing valid proof of long-term residence and fulfilling all eligibility norms, many genuine residents were left out during the earlier enumeration. He observed that several individuals and families missed inclusion as they were temporarily away from the Islands for medical treatment, education, domestic obligations, or short-term employment.
Mr. Ray also emphasized inconsistencies within the same households, where some members were issued Islander Cards while others were not. In several such cases, he said, fathers and children hold valid cards, whereas mothers were excluded merely because they were away during the survey period. These discrepancies, he added, have caused distress and discrimination among genuine islander families.
Urging immediate action, Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray appealed to the Government of India and the A&N Administration to undertake a comprehensive re-survey to identify and include all left-out genuine islanders and to issue them Islander Cards at the earliest. This, he asserted, would ensure justice, fairness, and equal entitlement for all bona fide inhabitants of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
