Port Blair, May 06: During Zero Hours in the Lok Sabha on 27.04.2015 Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, the Member of Parliament has proudly expressed his gratitude to the BJP Govt. lead by Mr. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India and also to the Minister of Home Affairs for fulfillment of old pending demands of the Islanders for the connectivity between Port Blair and mainland.
Mr. Ray has also extend his sincere thanks to Mr. Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pasupathy, Union Minister of Civil Aviation for extending his personal efforts for inception of chartered flight services between Port Blair and Vizag apart from the Charter Flight services between Port Blair and Chennai.
At the same time Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, the Member of Parliament has also brought the attention of the Speaker of Lok Sabha in connection with allocation of inadequate Plan Fund.
He added that in the BE of 2014-15 the allocation of fund for Andaman & Nicobar Islands under Plan Head was only Rs.1950 Crore. This has been further reduced to Rs.1700 Crores in the BE of 2015-16. Out of which Rs.800 Crores (nearly 50% of total BE) are to be incurred against the committed liabilities which includes the subsidies on Mediclaim, Charter Flight, Ship Services, Oil and Gas, Salaries etc. pending since 1990.
Resulted, in which the Administration is facing financial constrained to undertake the development works.
In view of that Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray has approach the Ministry of Finance to divert the fund requirement of committed liabilities from the Plan Fund and to include the same in the Non Plan Fund, so as to undertake maximum development works in A&N Islands. He further requested to implement the suggestion offered by the Standing Committee on Home Affairs in their report in regard to the grants of A&N Islands.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ray has also requested the Minister of Home Affairs for reinstatement of compensatory pay i.e. 13th Month Pay from January, 2013 in respect to Fire Brigade personals of A&N Administration at par with the Pay & Allowances admissible to the Police Personal of A&N of Police Department in compliance of the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs
Mr. Ray has also highlighted the issue of inadequate fund under the Fisheries Sector, Agriculture Sector and Animal Husbandry Sector which are mainly concerned to development of the livelihood of the islanders in the grass route level. Thereby, he approaches the Ministry for implementing the suggestion offered by the Standing Committee on Home Affairs to meet the expenses for all round development of Islands.
