HM Amit Shah Inaugurates ₹373 Cr Projects in Andaman & Nicobar
Home Minister says islands set to emerge as global trade, tourism and strategic hubs
- Shah inaugurates and lays foundation for projects worth ₹373 crore
- Highlights Savarkar memorial, Netaji legacy at Cellular Jail
- Great Nicobar project to make islands a global cargo and tourism hub
- Andaman & Nicobar to become centre of India’s maritime power
GG News Bureau
Sri Vijaya Puram, 4th Jan: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various development projects worth ₹373 crore of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration, asserting that the archipelago is rapidly emerging as a centre of India’s sovereignty, maritime power and economic activities.
Shah said the memorial of Veer Savarkar and the eternal flame at the Cellular Jail send a powerful message to the world about the sacrifices of India’s freedom fighters. Recalling Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s historic hoisting of the Tricolour here, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi honoured him by naming the islands as ‘Shaheed’ and ‘Swaraj’, and has undertaken the task of naming every island after heroes of India’s freedom struggle.
Calling Andaman and Nicobar a pilgrimage site for every Indian, Shah said freedom fighters transformed suffering into strength and torture into resolve here, ultimately achieving independence.
He said the previous government viewed the islands as a burden on the exchequer, but under the Modi government, they will become contributors to the nation’s treasury. Among the projects inaugurated were an Integrated Command and Control Centre (₹229 crore), Phase-I of the district hospital (₹33 crore), a Forensic Science Laboratory, and six other schemes worth ₹50 crore.
Shah also inaugurated an exhibition on the three new criminal laws, urging citizens, students, women and legal professionals to understand the technology-backed reforms in the justice system.
Highlighting future plans, he said the Great Nicobar project will transform the island into a global cargo hub, tourism centre and strategic security pillar. He added that Andaman and Nicobar is being developed as a global scuba diving destination, aligned with international standards.
Under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, 24 lakh trees have been planted, while the Sri Vijaya Puram Municipal Council now collects waste from 98% of households, marking a major Swachh Bharat success.
Shah said India has risen to become the world’s fourth largest economy and is on track to reach the third position soon, stressing that Aatmanirbhar Bharat and the use of indigenous products are key to making India the world’s number one nation by the centenary of Independence.
