Port Blair, June 29: The Lt. Governor, Lt Gen (Retd) Bhopinder Singh, PVSM, AVSM has requested the Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri Kapil Sibal to grant relaxation from the enforcement of the cut-off marks of AIEEE in the allotment of non-NIT i.e. the seats in Degree level Engineering/Technology/Agriculture Courses for the students of these Islands. The HRD Ministry has recently prescribed cut-off marks from the academic year 2012-13, for nomination to the NIT seats and also (Non NIT seats) i.e. the reserved seats in Engineering/Technology/Architecture/Pharmacy courses conducted at Degree level technical Institutions approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
The Lt Governor stated that if the cut-off marks are enforced as per the directions of the Ministry of HRD, some seats allotted to the UT are likely to remain vacant due to lack of eligible students of the A&N Islands, despite their being academically meritorious within the Islands. No such cut-off marks were prescribed by the Government of India till the last academic year. Hence, the UT Administration was nominating the students of Andaman and Nicobar Islands for the aforesaid seats allotted to the UT on the basis of State Merit Ranking of AIEEE and in accordance with the criteria fixed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. For academic year 2011-12, 105 such seats were allocated for the UT of A&N Islands for nominating its students. There is only one Engineering College in the A&N Islands and therefore most of the students of the Islands have to go to mainland for continuing their higher technical education. He further stated that the UT of A&N Islands is a group of Islands which are not only 1200 kms away from the India Coast but also isolated to each other. Under the circumstances, even the best students of the UT find it difficult to compete in the All India Entrance Examinations. Meanwhile, the Administration is inviting the application from all desirous candidates.
