PIL seeking govt job reservation for locals in Andamans to be heard on Mon

A PIL seeking 100 per cent government job reservation for the local people in Andaman and Nicobar Islands will be heard on Monday at the Calcutta High Court's circuit bench here.

Referring to the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, where the respective administrations have decided to reserve 100 per cent government jobs for the local people, Andaman and Nicobar Territorial Congress' Campaign Committee chairman TSG Bhasker had on March 8 filed the public interest litigation, demanding a similar provision for islanders.

Bhasker's counsel PC Das said, In last few years, the number of unemployed youth is rising in the archipelago. Lack of private industries and struggling tourism sector, which is yet to recover from the COVID-19 impact, have became a concern among the domiciles of Andaman and Nicobar Islands when it comes to jobs."

In the midst of these challenges, securing administrative Group C' and Group B' (non-gazetted) jobs in Andaman and Nicobar by applicants from other parts of India has aggravated the problem of unemployment in the union territory, he claimed.

Recently, job aspirants of Andaman and Nicobar Islands expressed resentment over a large number of candidates from other parts of the country appearing for examinations for more than 500 'Group C' posts and successfully clearing the tests.

A division bench comprising Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay and Justice Aniruddha Roy will hear the PIL on March 13, he said.

Speaking to the PTI, Bhasker said, I have full faith in the judiciary and I am hopeful that the verdict will be in favour of the youth of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Due to limited educational support and coaching, our youth finds it difficult to compete with applicants from the mainland in competitive exams.