Sri Vijaya Puram, Dec. 7: Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has written to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, and Hon’ble Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, seeking urgent intervention to protect the employment and educational opportunities of local residents of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands through a statutory framework.
For decades, islanders have relied on the “Local Certificate” system to secure preference in recruitment and admissions. This system, however, is based only on executive orders and has been weakened following judicial scrutiny, leaving thousands of island youth vulnerable in a fragile job market.
Highlighting the strategic vulnerability, isolated geography, and limited economic opportunities of the islands, the MP stressed that government jobs and professional education remain the only avenues for social mobility. Without statutory safeguards similar to the arrangement introduced in the Union Territory of Ladakh, local candidates face displacement in their own homeland.
Shri Ray pointed out that the Administration has recently initiated recruitment for 400–500 Group B (Non-Gazetted) and Group C posts, where mainland applicants with greater access to coaching and training naturally enjoy a significant advantage. In contrast, local candidates from remote island regions lack even basic preparatory resources, putting them at a severe disadvantage.
The MP strongly urged the Government of India to establish a statutory framework defining “local residents” for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and to grant appropriate preference in public employment and higher education. This would ensure that long-standing executive practice is placed on firm legal footing and that the future of island youth remains secure.
Shri Ray expressed confidence that under the Prime Minister’s leadership, the long-pending concern of islanders will receive sympathetic and urgent consideration.