Dweep Tulika

  A developed India cannot be a promise for tomorrow. Citizens need to experience measurable progress today. For years, Indians have been asked to look towards the future. 2047 has become one of the country's defining development milestones — the year India aims to complete 100 years of independence as a developed nation. There is nothing wrong with having an ambitious national goal. The question is what happens between now and then . An Indian citizen living in 2026 does not live in 2047. That citizen pays taxes today. Pays GST today. Pays electricity bills, transport costs, school fees and medical expenses today. So the legitimate question is simple: Why should citizens have to wait until 2047 to experience the basic standards of a modern, efficient country? The world is already moving Technology is moving rapidly from laboratories into everyday life. Autonomous vehicles are being deployed in some markets. Drone technology is moving towards increasingly practical co...

There is a simple question hidden inside a powerful piece of political satire : How efficiently can the state find an ordinary citizen when it wants something from them—and how efficiently can it find that same citizen when the citizen wants something from the state? The difference can sometimes be striking. When it comes to collecting taxes, the system knows where you live. When an instalment is overdue, reminders arrive. When a traffic violation is recorded, the challan can reach your phone. When a government fee, penalty or licence payment is due, the machinery of administration can often identify the person responsible. In other words, when compliance is required, the citizen is rarely invisible. But democracy demands something more than compliance. A citizen is not merely a taxpayer, vehicle owner, consumer or beneficiary of government schemes. A citizen is also a voter, a participant in public life and a person with constitutional rights . That is where the cartoon's ...

Sri Vijaya Puram | July 6, 2026 Imagine governing a place where every sack of cement, every litre of fuel, every ambulance, and even many government officials must first cross more than 1,200 kilometres of sea before reaching their destination. Welcome to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands , India's most isolated and perhaps most uniquely administered Union Territory. For many visitors, the islands feel almost like another country. Flights from mainland India take several hours, ships require days, and daily life is shaped less by highways and railways than by tides, weather conditions and ferry schedules. Yet these islands remain an inseparable part of India, making their administration unlike anywhere else in the country. Unlike Indian states, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands do not have a Legislative Assembly or an elected Chief Minister. Instead, the Union Territory is administered by the Lieutenant Governor on behalf of the Central Government. As a result, many important decision...

Sri Vijaya Puram , June 21: Member of Parliament Bishnu Pada Ray has raised concerns regarding spending priorities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands , alleging that essential public infrastructure continues to face neglect while significant funds are being spent on vessels and facilities intended for administrative use. Speaking at a public gathering, the MP questioned the need for expensive new vessels reportedly costing several crores of rupees. He alleged that despite persistent issues related to drinking water supply , road connectivity and other basic infrastructure in various parts of the islands, substantial expenditure was being incurred on assets primarily used for the movement and functioning of senior officials. The parliamentarian also referred to frequent administrative changes and criticized what he described as insufficient focus on the everyday concerns of island residents. According to Shri Ray, development priorities should be directed towards improving public...

Port Blair, April 2026: The office of the Deputy Commissioner, South Andaman, has issued an official investigation notice to the Andaman Association of Tour Operators (AATO), seeking detailed records and documentation related to its functioning and financial transactions. The notice, issued by the Assistant Commissioner of South Andaman, marks the beginning of a formal administrative inquiry into the association. According to the official communication, the association has been directed to produce a comprehensive set of documents, including certified meeting minutes of governing body sessions, original bye-laws along with any amendments, and updated records of office bearers. The administration has also sought detailed accounting records such as cash books, transaction summaries, and audited statements to examine financial transparency and compliance with regulatory norms. The notice further calls for documentation related to institutional grants, expenditure proofs, and banking detail...

Sri Vijayapuram, 20 April 2026: India is preparing to undertake Census 2026 , widely regarded as the world’s largest administrative exercise , aimed at creating an extensive demographic snapshot of the country’s population. Conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 , the exercise extends far beyond a simple population count. It seeks to document how people live, work and interact across the country, providing critical data for governance, development planning and public policy formulation. In formal terms, a census refers to the systematic process of collecting, compiling and recording information about every individual within a defined population. Conducted once every decade, the exercise involves enumerators reaching households across highly diverse terrains—from metropolitan cities and Himalayan regions to remote island territories such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands . The central objective remains universal inclusion, ensuring that no individual remains uncounted ...

Sri Vijaya Puram, 26 February 2026: The DISHA (District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee) meeting of South Andaman, chaired by Member of Parliament Bishnu Pada Ray , was postponed after a scheme-wise review could not be conducted due to the alleged non-availability of required administrative documents. According to a statement issued by the MP’s office, effective monitoring of Central Sponsored Schemes requires complete records, transparency, and access to relevant departmental documents. In the absence of the necessary information and documents, the scheduled review process could not proceed and the meeting was subsequently postponed. The MP emphasized the importance of proper review mechanisms to ensure accountability, transparency, and development-oriented governance in South Andaman district. He further expressed hope for full cooperation from the administration during the next session so that a comprehensive review of various schemes can be carried out in the...