Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 18: Lieutenant Governor Dr. Dinesh Sharma has identified the declining population of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a matter of concern, while calling for a balanced population pattern and greater priority for islanders in employment and recruitment.
In his first message to the islanders after assuming office, Sharma said the Islands’ demographic trend needed attention and that development should ensure opportunities for the people who live here.
“The declining population of the Andaman Islands is a matter of concern,” Sharma said. He added that while population growth was necessary to an extent, maintaining a balance in the population was also important.
The Lieutenant Governor linked the issue to employment opportunities, saying people of the Islands should receive priority when it comes to jobs and recruitment.
“When it comes to employment opportunities and recruitment, the people of the Andaman Islands should receive priority,” he said.
The remarks come as the administration’s own profile records an estimated total population of 4,34,192 in 2019 for the Union Territory. The Islands have a geographically dispersed population spread across 31 inhabited islands, according to the Andaman and Nicobar Administration.
Sharma also stressed that development activities should be undertaken with fairness and without pressure. He specifically referred to employment, recruitment and road construction, saying transparency and impartiality should be integral to such activities.
“Whether it is employment, recruitment, road construction or other development activities, there should be transparency and fairness, and development should take place without pressure,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor’s remarks form part of a wider development vision he outlined after taking charge, covering connectivity, healthcare, shipping, fisheries, infrastructure and education.
On connectivity, Sharma expressed hope that affordable flights would become available to the Islands in the coming years and that the shipping system would improve. He also called for better opportunities and facilities for fishermen.
Healthcare was another priority identified in his message, with Sharma speaking of the need for high-level medical facilities in the Islands, including treatment for heart-related illnesses and mental health conditions.
He also called for better roads and bridges and said people should be able to place their trust in elected representatives, administrators and officers to carry out development work honestly.
Education featured in his vision as well. Sharma called for better opportunities for children and suggested expansion of higher and professional education in the Islands.
“Building a constructive Andaman and Nicobar Islands is perhaps the biggest resolution of today’s occasion,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor also called for collective effort in taking the Islands forward, expressing confidence that a time would come when residents could speak with pride about being from the Andaman Islands.
Dr Sharma assumed office as the 14th Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on September 15, following his swearing-in at Lok Niwas in Sri Vijaya Puram.
His first message to Islanders therefore places the question of population, local employment and balanced development alongside the immediate concerns of connectivity, healthcare, infrastructure and education.
