Arjun Singh assures Andaman to solve NIT seat row

Port Blair, Jun 19 (UNI) Union minister of Human Resources and Development Arjun Singh has assured to do all that is needed to solve the NIT seat crisis in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Congress sources while talking to Mr Manoranjan Bhakta, MP, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said Mr Singh yesterday assured to take all possible steps in this regard.

The final decision in this regard would be taken at a high level meeting on June 21 at New Delhi but the Minister has assured to do the needful, Sanjay Choudhuri, the General Secretary of Andaman's Congress unit, told UNI here today.

Till last year 50 per cent of the seats in an NIT (National Institute of Technology) are filled by domiciled candidates of the state in which NIT is situated, while the rest are filled from candidates outside the state.

But now the Ministry of Human Resource Development has decided that from 2008-2009 onwards, admission in the NITs for outside the state (i.e non-domiciled seats) would be on All India Merit Basis.

Following this development now all the NITs of India have shut doors for the students of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, who, till last year, used to get direct admission to the prestigious institute, Political Leaders, NGOs and different organizations have been protesting in Andaman against this decision of the HRD Ministry, which they feel, would spoil the future of Andaman students.

Meanwhile, the Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has also written letter to Arjun Singh, the Minister of HRD to allow the NIT seat quota, like previous years, considering the remoteness of these far-flung islands.

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