Kiren Rijiju says Great Nicobar project will boost India’s economic growth and supply-chain independence

What Happened

• Statements from the Union Government have reiterated that the Great Nicobar Island Development Project is essential to India's economic growth strategy and supply-chain independence from foreign transshipment hubs.
• The project's core argument: Indian ports currently lack the capacity to handle ultra-large container vessels directly, forcing Indian cargo to be transhipped through ports in Singapore, Colombo (Sri Lanka), and Port Klang (Malaysia) — incurring avoidable foreign exchange outflows estimated at $200–300 million annually.
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) granted clearance to the project in February 2026, dismissing petitions that had sought to halt development on environmental grounds.
• Concerns raised by environmental researchers, tribal welfare advocates, and opposition voices centre on: diversion of approximately 130 sq km of primary rainforest; impact on the Shompen tribe (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group); coral reef and leatherback sea turtle nesting habitat disruption; and the island's seismic vulnerability.
• Proponents frame the project as integral to India's Act East Policy, countering China's maritime presence in the Bay of Bengal, and positioning India as a global logistics hub by centenary (2047).

Static Topic Bridges

Great Nicobar Island: Location, Geography, and Strategic Significance

Great Nicobar is the southernmost and largest island of the Nicobar archipelago, part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory. It lies at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, approximately 150 km from the northern tip of Sumatra (Indonesia). Its southern tip — Indira Point — is India's southernmost point and sits roughly 90 nautical miles from the Strait of Malacca, through which 40% of global maritime trade and approximately 80% of Asia's energy imports pass. The island's location gives any port developed there unparalleled access to the East–West maritime trade route without the constraints of a narrow strait.

NITI Aayog Holistic Development Plan and Project Components

The Great Nicobar Island Development Project was conceptualised by NITI Aayog as a "holistic development" initiative, first formally proposed in 2020. NITI Aayog, the national policy think tank replacing the Planning Commission, prepared the development vision in consultation with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and the Ministry of Defence. The project's four integrated components are: (1) an International Container Transshipment Port (ICTP) at Galathea Bay with an initial capacity of 4 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units); (2) a greenfield international airport with a dual civilian-military function (naval air station); (3) a 450-MVA power plant (gas + solar hybrid); and (4) an integrated township to house project workers and future residents. The project area is approximately 166 sq km; total investment is projected at over ₹72,000 crore in Phase 1.

Shompen Tribe: Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) Status and Protection Framework

The Shompen are one of India's 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), a classification for the most isolated, small-population indigenous communities at risk of extinction due to their low literacy, pre-agricultural subsistence economy, declining or stagnant population, and extreme isolation from mainstream society. The Shompen population is estimated at approximately 200–300 individuals; they are nomadic forest-dwellers of Great Nicobar who have historically resisted contact with the outside world. Their habitat overlaps significantly with the project's development footprint. The Shompen Policy (2015) and the Forest Rights Act, 2006 provide formal protection frameworks, requiring mandatory consultation with tribal welfare bodies (Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti, or AAJVS) and prohibiting activities that displace PVTGs without consent.

India's Act East Policy and Maritime Strategic Interests in the Indo-Pacific

India's Act East Policy (successor to the Look East Policy, rebranded in 2014) seeks to deepen economic, strategic, and people-to-people ties with Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Indo-Pacific. A key dimension is maritime: India aims to establish a credible presence across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), counter the expansion of rival naval power, and protect Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs). The Andaman and Nicobar Islands — particularly the existing Andaman and Nicobar Command (India's only tri-services theatre command) — serve as a strategic sentinel over the Malacca Strait. A dual-use airport and deepwater port at Great Nicobar would extend India's surveillance and power-projection capabilities significantly southward, reducing response times and improving maritime domain awareness.

Key Facts & Data

• Great Nicobar Island area: ~910 sq km; southernmost point: Indira Point (India's southernmost tip)
• Distance to Strait of Malacca: ~90 nautical miles
• Project area: ~166 sq km; forest diversion: ~130 sq km; trees to be felled: ~1 million
• Project investment (Phase 1): over ₹72,000 crore
• ICTP initial capacity: 4 million TEUs
• Annual transhipment cost savings projected: $200–300 million
• NGT clearance: February 2026 (upheld environmental clearance; dismissed objection petitions)
• Shompen population: ~200–300 individuals (PVTG); Shompen Policy 2015 mandates voluntary isolation protection
• Andaman and Nicobar Command: India's only integrated tri-services command, established 2001
• Project target: phased build-out with full development by 2047; projected $30 billion sub-economy