Sri Vijaya Puram: A simmering anxiety among Andaman & Nicobar’s educated youth over a proposed reduction in the age limit for central government job recruitment has reached Parliament, with local Member of Parliament Bishnu Pada Ray formally urging the Centre to reconsider the policy.
The Union Government is reportedly considering lowering the maximum age limit for recruitment through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) from 32 to 28 years for general category candidates, with proportionate reductions for other categories. While no official circular has been released yet, preliminary drafts and government discussions have raised concern across remote regions like the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where systemic delays in education, access, and opportunity prevail.
In a letter addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, MP Bishnu Pada Ray highlighted that any such blanket reduction in the upper age limit would disproportionately harm aspirants from island territories who already contend with geographic isolation, limited educational infrastructure, and delayed access to preparatory resources.
“This proposed move threatens to derail the ambitions of hundreds of deserving youths in the islands, who already face systemic disadvantages compared to mainland counterparts,” said Ray in the letter, which was also marked to the Chief Secretary of the Andaman & Nicobar Administration.
Local educators and aspirants have echoed similar sentiments in recent days. Many point out that students in the islands often complete their education later than their mainland peers, due to slower academic calendars and limited coaching facilities. A cut in the recruitment age limit, they argue, would close one of the few remaining windows of opportunity for stable government employment.
Citing these factors, Ray urged the Union Government to either withdraw the proposed age limit reduction or introduce a special relaxation for aspirants from Union Territories, especially remote and tribal-dominated areas such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and the North East.
He also reminded the government that the current age criteria had enabled equitable representation in civil services from underrepresented regions. “Reducing the age will reverse years of progress in inclusive recruitment and may lead to alienation,” his note read.
The MP’s intervention comes amidst rising concern among youth groups, many of whom have begun petitioning the local administration for clarity. With official confirmation from UPSC or the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) still pending, uncertainty continues to fuel anxiety across college campuses and coaching centres.
Stakeholders say the Andaman & Nicobar Administration must urgently liaise with central authorities to ensure that any recruitment reform factors in the unique challenges of the islands. “What is needed is a more nuanced, regionally-sensitive recruitment policy, not a one-size-fits-all cut,” a local educator remarked.
As the issue gathers national attention, all eyes are now on the Union Government to issue a formal clarification or modify the proposal to prevent exclusion of disadvantaged groups.
