Savita Kumari
Port Blair, Aug 10: Mr. Govind Ram, General Secretary of Dweep Janta Party demanded reservation of all jobs in Government Departments/ PSUs in Andaman & Nicobar Islands for local (domicile) eligible candidates.
In his letter addressed to the Prime Minister of India, the General Secretary Mr. Ram wrote that the issue is regarding totally saturated employment opportunities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands because of non-existence of any sound private sector avenue coupled with harsh set back to the only self employment generating industry of tourism due to Corona.
Under such a situation appointment of applicants from different states of India in limited Govt. sector posts have caused serious resentment among the educated unemployed youth of the Islands territory. Consequently there is the social evil of fast growing alcoholism and drug addiction obviously due to frustration among the youth.
The General Secretary Mr. Ram further pointed out that the distance from mainland India, poor net connectivity (despite so called under sea cabling) and weak financial sustainability of the majority of the families are the constraints for the local youth to compete for employment on the mainland. Educational backwardness of the Island territory (as already admitted by the Hon’ble Supreme Court) makes it all the more difficult for the local youth to compete with youth of mainland India where all the facilities like net connectivity and standard coaching centers are easily available.
“With 86% of the total geographical area of the UT being forest and plain paddy fields already submerged in saline water due to the tsunami of 2004, the possibility of survival in agriculture is also as good as naught and if major share of whatever little Govt. jobs is also grabbed by better equipped applicants from mainland India, I am sorry but constrained to say, the situation may soon become fatal”, Mr. Ram added to his letter.
On behalf of the local educated unemployed youth of the present as well as future, the General Secretary of DJP urged that all Govt jobs and jobs in PSUs in the remotest UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands may be reserved for local (domicile) eligible candidates, as has already been done in the UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
