GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL K-1 HANDOUT By – Mr.

Shiv Arpit

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The territory is 150 km (93 mi) north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated from Thailand and Myanmar
(Burma) by the Andaman Sea. It comprises two island groups, the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar
Islands, separated by the 10°N parallel, with the Andamans to the north of this latitude, and the
Nicobars to the south. The Andaman Sea lies to the east and the Bay of Bengal to the west.
The territory's capital is the Andamanese town of Port Blair. The total land area of the territory is
approximately 8,073 km2 (3,117 sq mi). The capital of Nicobar Islands is Car Nicobar.

Key Insights

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• Due to the high demand from visiting tourists, the Islands provide opportunities for the handicrafts
industry.

• The Islands also support industries focused on IT/ITeS and provide different incentives under their
dedicated sector policy. The Islands are home to 2,400 units of MSME.
• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, located in the Indian Ocean, are a group of 572 islands in the
southeastern part of the Bay of Bengal. The islands are situated close to Indonesia and Thailand.
• The presence of 23 ports and an international airport in the capital city of Port Blair makes it well
connected with the rest of the world.
• The long coastline of 1,962 km offers tremendous opportunities for investment in India's marine
industries and cruise tourism.

Economic snapshot
• In 2019-20, the tertiary sector contributed 70.60% to the state’s GSDP at current prices, followed
by the secondary sector with a contribution of 16.71%.
• The primary sector expanded at a CAGR of 11.52% between 2011- 12 and 2019-20. Agriculture
was the key contributor to the growth of the primary sector, followed by crops.
• In FY23, the total merchandise exports from the union territory stood at US$ 5.91 million.
• In FY21, the UT exported key items such as marine products, which contributed 37.04% to the total
exports in the UT.

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 Physical infrastructure –
Development of Islands
Identification of • Initially, nine islands were listed for sustainable growth in Andaman and
islands for holistic Nicobar—Aves, Long, Little Andaman, Smith and Ross.
developments • Smith and Ross Islands - Nature/Wild - To develop Smith Island as a nature-
based Escapade
• Aves Island - Romantic Gateway - To develop Aves Island into an
ecotourism gateway/honeymoon destination
• Long Island - Experiential Tourism - To develop Long Island as a unique
model of emission-free village and promote cultural tourism
• In September 2020, Niti Aayog started the process of hiring consultants to
prepare a master plan for the holistic development of the Great Nicobar
Islands through the public–private partnership model.
Identification of • Four model projects in Andaman and Nicobar; these have been approved
projects for by the public-private partnership appraisal committee— the Ministry of
priority Finance.
implementation • Coastal regulation zone clearance has been accorded for all four projects
of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

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 Identification of NITI Aayog, in consultation with the administration of union territories,
additional islands identified 11 more islands/sites in Andaman and Nicobar for sustainable
for development development—North Passage, Cinque, Inglis, Viper, Neil (Bharatpur Beach),
Ramnagar Beach, Karmatang Beach, Dhaninallah Beach, Kalipur Beach,
Rutland, North Bay and Great Nicobar (B Quarry).
Ecotourism As part of NITI Aayog’s initiative for holistic development of islands, the bidding
facilities through process for development of sustainable ecotourism projects in four islands of
public-private Andaman and Nicobar have been undertaken.
partnerships

Physical infrastructure – Power

• In FY23 (as of April 30, 2023),
Andaman and Nicobar had a total
installed power generation capacity
of 127.87 MW, comprising 92.71 MW
from thermal and 35.86 MW from
renewable energy sources (RES).
• As of March 2022, The Japan
International Cooperation Agency
(JICA) and the Government of India
signed a grant for a power supply
project in the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands worth Rs. 250 crores (US$ 32.54
million).
• Under the Union budget 2022-23, the
government allocated Rs. 789.08 crore
(US$ 103.12 million) for power
generation.

Physical infrastructure – Telecom

• In August 2020, Prime Minister inaugurated the 2,300-km long Submarine Optical Fibre Cable
(OFC), connecting Port Blair, Little Andaman and Swaraj Island.
• The OFC submarine would have high-speed telecommunications and broadband services at the
same stage as metro cities in Andaman and Nicobar, which would offer great benefits such as e-
education, banking facilities, telemedicine and surge jobs by offering a big boost to the tourism
sector.
• In March 2023, Airtel rolled out its 5G services in Port Blair, becoming the first telecom operator
to offer services in the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• In August 2020, Airtel launched 4G services in Andaman and Nicobar and will get 124 mobile
towers.

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Physical infrastructure – Transport
Shipping •The lifeline of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is shipping operations, as most
construction activities are related to it. The ship repair facilities need to be
established in order to keep the shipping operations alive without any disruption.
• The existing repair facilities at Port Blair are being expanded by the Ministry of
Shipping due to substantial increased ship movements. This increase will improve
shipbuilding and the ship repair industry and support the ‘Make In India' initiative.
• In March 2021, Andaman and Nicobar received a 150-tonne cargo vessel named
Sindhu from the Cochin Shipyard Ltd. for movement of supplies and people. The
cargo vessel can carry 500 passengers.
Transport • Railway Line in Andaman and Nicobar Islands : A 240-km wide-gauge railway line
linking two major islands, with bridges and coastal stations, will be part of an
ambitious rail link linking Port Blair to Diglipur on the Andaman Islands and will be
the first in the country to place the archipelago on the rail map.
• Beodnabad to Ferrargunj section of NH-4 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands was
completed in 2019. This 26 km stretch was envisaged under the ambitious
Andaman & Nicobar Island Dweep Connectivity Programme.
• NH-4, the ‘Andaman Trunk Road’ is lifeline of the islands and is playing an
important role in the socio-economic development of A&N Islands
• Electric buses in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• In January 2021, state-owned power producer NTPC announced that it will deploy
14 electric buses and also set up public charging infrastructure in the islands.
Introduction of electric buses will help cut down tailpipe emissions.
Airports • Civil work at
Diglipur Airport
(Shibpur) has
been completed
to boost air
connectivity in
the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands
and the airport is
likely to become
operational for
commercial aircraft in the near future. Four locations have been established for
maritime aircraft operations.

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 • The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken the work for the construction
of a new integrated terminal building at the Veer Savarkar International Airport in
Port Blair.

Social infrastructure – Education

• There are 396 schools spread over 36 islands in the A&N Islands. Of these, 306 are administered
by the Ministry of Education, 2 by Kendriya Vidhyalaya Sangatan, 2 by Navodaya Vidhyalaya Samiti,
2 are supported schools, 2 are maintained by the Municipal Council and 71 are privately run
colleges.
• According to All India Survey on Higher Education 2019-20 (AISHE 2019-20), Andaman and Nicobar
had eight government colleges, which included four general colleges, an engineering college, two
medical colleges and a science college.

Social infrastructure – Health

People in Andaman and Nicobar receive absolutely free healthcare facilities from government
hospitals unlike the government hospital in state governments in India.

Key sector

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Fishery • In 2019-20, the
estimated
potential of fish
production
Andaman and
Nicobar stood at
43.79 thousand
tonnes.
• 23 fish
transportation
units,
refrigerated and
insulated vans,
auto rickshaws,
motorcycles and
ice box bicycles were sanctioned.
• Providing insurance coverage to 14.8 thousand fishermen annually

Agriculture

• In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, coconut is the predominant crop and is
cultivated on about 18,095.38 ha on these islands. Bulk coconut production is for
the production and direct consumption of copra.
• The total cultivated area in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is over 16,500 ha,
with key crops including coconut, paddy, banana and areca nut.
• In 2020-21, the state produced 1,253.69 lakh nuts of coconut under an area of
18,095.38 hectares.

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 • Promoting integrated farming in islands: NABARD has taken up 14 agricultural
projects with a gross refinancing of more than Rs. 1.2 billion. The bank is also
encouraging organised farming on the islands and, as another driving force, has
concentrated on the growth of skills.
Tourism • As an eco-friendly tourist destination, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have
been recognised.
• These islands including Cellular Prison, Ross Island and Havelock Island have
something very special to offer as a tourist paradise.
• The tropical rain forests of Andaman, silver sandy beaches, mangrove creeks,
marine life abounding in rare plant species, birds, corals, etc., provide visitors with
an unforgettable experience.
• In the beach resorts, there is an enormous scope for enjoying nature, water sports
and adventure water sports, and adventure tourism such as trekking, island
camping, nature paths and scuba diving.
• In March 2021, the Government of India announced that it would set up four
water aerodromes in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands to develop the union
territory as a tourist destination so that it can be at par with Maldives and
Mauritius.
• In August 2021, under the Marine Aids to Navigation Bill 2021, traditional and
historical values of lighthouses would be preserved and showcased as part of the
initiative. Thus, government identified 65 lighthouses to become a tourist spots.
Lighthouses in Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been identified under this
initiatives to boost tourism.
• In March 2021, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced that it is
vetting 41 proposals of projects from various sectors including road construction,
hospitality and industries in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
• In March 2021, the Environment Ministry recommended a near negligible eco-
sensitive zone (ESZ) around Galathea National Park (GNP) in the Great Nicobar
Islands.

State Acts, Policies and Incentives

National Activities such as game fishing and concept of ‘Catch, Photograph and Release’
Fisheries scheme, (CPR) to popularise ecotourism or fisheries tourism, especially in the
Policy, 2020 Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Lakshadweep Group of Islands and some
coasts on the mainland will be promoted as an alternative livelihood activity.
Andaman and • For the development of startup ecosystem and employment in the state by
Nicobar 2023.
Innovation • Andaman & Nicobar has been named the best performers in ‘Category Y’
Policy 2018-23 under the ‘State Startup Ranking for the Year 2019’ published by the
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
• Currently, the union territory has 92 registered start-ups, 16 of which are
recognised by the union government’s Department for Promotion of Industry
and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
Lakshadweep For industrial units in Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Benefits
and Andaman under the Scheme are as under:
and Nicobar • Central Capital Investment for Access to Credit (CCIIAC)
Islands • Central Interest Incentive (CII)

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 Industrial • Central Comprehensive Insurance Incentive (CCII)
Development • Good and Service Tax (GST) Reimbursement
Scheme, • Income Tax (IT) Reimbursement
(LANIDS) 2018 • Transport Incentive (TI), and
• Employment Incentive (EI)

Strategic Focus areas for development of A&N Islands

Increase opportunities through digital India:
• The role of Andaman and Nicobar in India's strong ties with East Asian countries and other
sea-related countries is very high under the Act-East Policy and this is likely to increase. To
improve development of projects in the state, the Island Development Agency was created.
• Submarine Cable will assist A&N in providing cheaper and better connectivity and all of Digital
India's advantages, especially in improving online education, telemedicine, banking, online
trading and tourism.
International Maritime Trade
• A mega International Container Transhipment Port is going to be set up at the Galathea Bay
of Great Nicobar Island. The first phase is targeted for completion in 2028 at a handling
capacity of 4 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units.
• Development of a deep internal port draught and the proposal to build a trans-shipment port
in Great Nicobar at an estimated cost of approximately Rs. 100 billion (US$ 1.36 billion) will
enable large ships, along with new employment opportunities, to anchor and increase India's
share in maritime trade.
• The island's blue economy such as fisheries, aquaculture, and seaweed farming will accelerate
in line with the growth of modern infrastructure in Andaman and Nicobar.
High impact projects and improved physical connectivity
• In December 2022, India and Indonesia held a meeting on the development of connectivity
between Andaman and Nicobar Island and Aceh Province.
• High-impact ventures are being extended across 12 Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In order to
boost the North and Middle Andaman road connectivity, two major bridges and the NH-4 are
under construction.
• Port Blair Airport is being renovated to accommodate 1,200 passengers. In addition, the
airports are ready for Diglipur, Car Nicobar and Campbell-Bay operations.
• Four Ships being built at Kochi Shipyard would improve the water connectivity between the
islands and the mainland.
Policy and infrastructure support
• The government has already invested Rs. 30,000 crore (US$ 3.64 billion) in the last eight years
in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Rs. 10,000 crore (US$ 1.21 billion) worth of
investments are in the pipeline. The government is planning to develop a trans-shipment hub,
a greenfield airport, a township, and a diesel/solar power plant as part of a mega infrastructure
boost to the strategically located island chain.
• In August 2020, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated the Submarine Optical Fibre
Cable for better connectivity in Andaman and Nicobar.

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 • To improve air connectivity in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, civil work at Diglipur Airport
(Shibpur) has been completed and the airport is likely to become operational for commercial
aircraft in the near future.
• The government has set target for Andaman and Nicobar to attain its energy needs through
100% renewable energy.

Enabling eco-system for industrial development in A&N Islands

One District One Product (ODOP) Scheme:
District Name Product
Nicobar Coconut & Coconut based products
North and Middle Andaman Fishries/Marine products
South Andaman Marine Products

India Industrial Land Bank (IILB)

Government of India has also undertaken integration of industrial parks across the country onto
the India Industrial Land Bank (IILB), a GIS enabled platform, which will allow showcasing of respective
industrial parks to investors on one common platform. Details of the Industrial Parks located in
Andaman and Nicobar Islands which have been integrated onto IILB are given below:
District Park Name
South Andaman Industrial Estate Dolly Gunj
North & Middle Andaman Industrial Estate Bakultala
Nicobars Industrial Estate Campbell Bay Joginder Nagar
South Andaman Industrial Estate Garacharma
South Andaman Industrial Estate Hut Bay
South Andaman Industrial Estate Mithakhari

Challenges to tackle
The islands, being located close to South-East Asia, have the potential to strengthen India’s Look East-
Act East policy. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands constitute just 0.2 per cent of India’s landmass but
account for 30 per cent of the country’s 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The past
decade has seen the arrival of new technologies which make it possible to harmonise progress with
nature. This period also witnessed the rising geo-strategic importance of the islands. All-round
progress of the islands is, therefore, a desirable goal.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have four centres of gravity:
1. the strategic nature of the islands,
2. the people and their aspirations,
3. the environment, and
4. the original inhabitants, particularly the vulnerable tribes.
If all these four centres are in harmony, nobody can stop the islands’ progress.
Strategic and security issues
The Andaman and Nicobar islands, which stretch over 750 km in the Bay of Bengal, give India a
tremendous reach. They give India a commanding position over the Sea Lines of Communication

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(SLOCs) and the considerable traffic that flows to and fro between the Indian and Pacific Oceans
through the Malacca Strait.
Peacetime threats and challenges arise from illegal migration and human trafficking, poaching, and
subversive threats from the seas.
The security of the islands has to be a mix of human and technological surveillance to keep the vast
coastline and uninhabited islands under constant check.
Development vs environment
After Independence, the islands saw an influx of settlers, job-seekers, labourers, and migrants that
has created socioeconomic problems periodically. The high cost of living, lack of employment
opportunities, distance from the mainland, and social issues have led to a sense of negativity among
the islanders. There is a tendency to view every development initiative with a sense of suspicion and
fear. The spirit of free enterprise so essential for development is lacking in the islands.
The vision should be : “Promote sustainable and inclusive growth while being sensitive to the fragile
ecosystem and the concerns of our indigenous tribes.”
The latest expertise in technology and business practices must be harnessed in harmony with the
socioeconomic potential of the islands.
The islands have been in the news for the mega project in the Great Nicobar Islands which has
obtained environmental clearance recently. News reports suggest that under the Rs.72,000 crore
project, the Campbell Bay area is to be developed in three phases over 30 years. This has raised great
concerns about the ecology and rights of the primitive tribes, as also about the environmental
vulnerability of the area.
Protection of indigenous tribes
The islands have been the home of aboriginal tribes for thousands of years. There are six scheduled
tribes—the Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas, Sentinelese, Shompen, and Nicobarese. Excepting the
Nicobarese (the majority), they are recognised as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). The
Andaman And Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956 provides for
protection of the interests of the tribes and specifies the areas reserved for their exclusive community
ownership. Despite this, there is constant friction among the local people, who continue to encroach
into the reserved area.

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