Sri Vijaya Puram, November 3: The long-pending proposal to revise wages for seafarers serving aboard passenger and cargo vessels operated by the Andaman and Nicobar Administration has moved towards final approval following the intervention of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, the National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) said.
According to NUSI, the file has been cleared by the concerned departments and is being processed for submission to the Union Home Secretary for final approval. However, formal approval is still awaited, and the revised wages have not yet been implemented.
The development follows a series of meetings held by NUSI representatives with senior officials and Union ministers in New Delhi to press for an early resolution of the issue. The union said the prolonged delay in approving the wage revision had caused financial hardship to affected seafarers and their families.
On October 23, NUSI representative from Port Blair met P. Manoj Kumar, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and raised concerns over the pending approval. The Joint Secretary reportedly indicated that the necessary approval would be communicated to the Andaman and Nicobar Administration within a month.
NUSI, however, pressed for faster action, arguing that seafarers had already faced an extended period of financial losses and that the matter required urgent resolution.
On October 24, the delegation met Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale, apprising him of the delay and its financial implications for the workforce. According to the union, Athawale extended support and facilitated further intervention with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The issue was subsequently taken up with Nityanand Rai on October 28. During the meeting, the NUSI delegation highlighted the prolonged wait for revised wages for personnel serving aboard vessels operated by the island administration and sought expedited action.
Rai directed the concerned authorities to speed up the processing of the file and initiate the necessary steps to obtain approval from the competent authority without further delay, NUSI said. He also asked the delegation to follow up directly with the Joint Secretary to track progress.
Following the meeting, the delegation contacted the Joint Secretary, who reportedly confirmed that the file had been cleared by all concerned departments. The concerned section head had initiated further processing, and the proposal was being moved for submission to the Union Home Secretary for final approval.
While the movement of the file marks progress, the final outcome will depend on the competent authority’s approval and subsequent implementation by the Andaman and Nicobar Administration.
NUSI said it would continue pursuing the matter until the revised wages are formally approved and implemented, with eligible seafarers receiving the benefits due to them.
The union has been seeking the wage revision for personnel serving on the administration’s passenger and cargo vessels, maintaining that the prolonged delay has placed an additional financial burden on workers and their families.
The pending approval remains a key concern for the affected workforce, as the administrative progress reported by the union has yet to translate into revised wages. The next step is the final decision at the Ministry of Home Affairs level, followed by implementation by the island administration.
