Knowledge Booster: Great Nicobar Island (GNI) Project

Subject: Geography, Environment, Government Schemes
Relevance: The GNI project has strategic significance for India. It’s important to understand the project, its geographical significance, and associated concerns.

Key Takeaways

1. GNI Project Overview:

   • Conceived by NITI Aayog and launched in 2021.

   • Key components:

     • International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT)

     • Greenfield international airport (4,000 passengers peak hour capacity)

     • Township

     • Gas and solar-based power plant (spread across 16,610 hectares)

   • Implemented by Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO).

2. Strategic Alignment:

   • Aligns with India’s Maritime Vision 2030.

   • Key project under Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.

   • Leverages the island’s strategic location: equidistant from Colombo and Port Klang/Singapore.

3. Location:

   • Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Cluster of 836 islands, divided into Andaman Islands (north) and Nicobar Islands (south) by the Ten Degree Channel.

   • Great Nicobar: Southernmost and largest of the Nicobar Islands (910 sq km).

   • Indira Point: India’s southernmost point, 90 nautical miles from Sabang (Sumatra).

4. Environmental Features:

   • Mainly tropical rainforest.

   • Two national parks

   • Biosphere reserve

   • Small populations of Shompen and Nicobarese tribal peoples.

   • Non-tribal settlers

5. Strategic Importance:

   • Proximity to Malacca Strait: The main waterway connecting the Indian Ocean to the Pacific.

   • The ICTT is expected to integrate Great Nicobar into the regional and global maritime economy.

   • Sabang (Indonesia) is 90 nautical miles from Indira Point, and Coco Island (Myanmar) is close to the Andamans.

   • A&N Islands as a first line of defense against maritime security threats from the East.

6. Maritime Zone Delimitation:

   • A&N Islands share international maritime zone delimitations with Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.

   • Provide India with substantial ocean space under UNCLOS (exclusive economic zone and continental shelf).

7. Concerns:

   • Threat to the ecology of the islands.

   • Impact on the Shompen (PVTG) and Nicobarese tribes.

8. PVTGs (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups):

   • Sub-classification of Scheduled Tribes (STs).

   • Severely marginalized due to isolation, low population, and socio-economic characteristics.

   • Face limited access to services, social discrimination, and displacement risks.

   • Limited political representation.

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

• Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve included in UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) Program in 2013.

• The MAB program aims to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments.