New Delhi, Dec. 5: Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, met the Additional Secretary (UT), Ministry of Home Affairs, in New Delhi and submitted a letter reminding him of following important public issues earlier taken up with the Home Ministry for urgent consideration. The Hon’ble MP expressed gratitude to the Ministry for resolving few long-pending matters raised by him and urged that similar priority be given to the remaining issues pending with the Ministry.
1. Introduction of a domicile law for providing employment opportunities to local islanders based on the Local Residence Certificate, similar to the UT of Ladakh.
2. Fixation of upper age limit at 40 years for recruitment to Group-B (Non-Gazetted) and Group-C posts under the UT Administration, in line with the UT Ladakh model. The current limits fixed by the UT Administration 33 years for males and 38 years for females are not in conformity with the Ladakh model.
3. Enhancement of the annual UT budget under the Capital Head and allocation of a special grant of ₹5,000 crore for infrastructure development in both urban and rural areas, including PRIs, roads, bridges, and drainage systems, in view of the forthcoming Municipal and Panchayat elections in 2027.
4. Early constitution of the OBC Commission to study and include left-out categories in the OBC list, such as the Ranchi community, Ex-servicemen settlers, Fishermen settlers, settlers from Kerala, Srilankan repatriates etc.
5. Restoration of funds, powers, and functionaries to PRIs and Municipal bodies, which were withdrawn arbitrarily by the UT Administration without proper orders, contrary to the spirit of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments.
6. Convening of the Home Ministry’s Advisory Meeting, which has not been held since 2018, despite the requirement of holding it annually as per the standing Notification of the Hon’ble President of India dated 29.10.2016, especially considering that the UT does not have a Legislative Assembly.
7. Enhancement of salaries of MNREGA staff to align with their workload and responsibilities for which UT Administration had already submitted proposal.
8. Sanction and release of compensation to farmers whose lands were submerged due to sea ingress, as recommended by the Vivek Rae Committee constituted by the MHA in 2017.
9. Urgent implementation of anti-defection provisions under the A&N Islands (Municipal) Regulation, along with submission of the model rules for immediate consideration.
10. Review and re-examination of certain provisions in the Industrial Estate Policy, 2025, notified by the A&N Administration on 28th February 2025, as it was issued without proper hearing or consideration of claims and objections submitted by MSME units.
11. Appraisal and approval by the MHA for the acquisition of 04 ships, each with a capacity of 500 passengers and 150 tons of cargo, a proposal already submitted by the UT Administration to the MHA on 13.10.2025.
The Additional Secretary (UT), MHA informed the Hon’ble MP that the Ministry is actively working on the matters and assured that they will be duly considered.
Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble MP, consistently follows a result-oriented approach first raising issues through formal letters, then highlighting them in Parliament and subsequently pursuing them through continuous follow-up, including personal meetings with concerned authorities. This dedicated approach has led to the successful resolution of several important public issues over the past year.