Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh at the Atal Centre for Ocean Science and Technology for Islands (ACOSTI) in Sri Vijaya Puram.
Dr Singh pitches Blue Economy for Andaman, Nicobar
Sri Vijaya Puram: The Union government today reiterated its push to develop the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a major hub of India’s Blue Economy, even as large-scale infrastructure plans for the region continue to face sustained environmental and legal scrutiny. The renewed emphasis came during Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh’s visit to the Atal Centre for Ocean Science and Technology for Islands (ACOSTI) in Sri Vijaya Puram, where he launched and reviewed a series of marine technology initiatives aimed at strengthening livelihoods and marine-based economic activity in the island territory.
Addressing scientists, officials and local stakeholders at ACOSTI, a unit of the National Institute of Ocean Technology under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr Singh said India’s future economic growth would increasingly depend on untapped marine resources as the country advances towards becoming one of the world’s leading economies. He said the government’s focus on the Blue Economy reflected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision that national development must include island territories and coastal regions alongside the mainland. The event was attended by Andaman and Nicobar Islands Member of Parliament Bishnu Pada Ray, Earth Sciences Secretary M Ravichandran, senior officials of the island administration, scientists from NIOT and other research institutions, and representatives of local departments and self-help groups.
Dr Singh underlined that the Prime Minister’s announcement of the Deep Ocean Mission from the Red Fort on more than one occasion signalled the national priority accorded to marine resources. He said marine ecosystems, long under-explored, would play a decisive role in employment generation, exports, environmental sustainability and economic resilience as conventional resources decline. Among the initiatives showcased during the programme were pilot-scale open sea cage culture of marine fish and large-scale seaweed cultivation, projects that the Minister said had already progressed to technology transfer and reflected a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.
The Minister also highlighted the integration of ocean science with biotechnology, referring to India’s BioE3 policy aimed at strengthening the economy, environment and employment. He said marine bio-resources offered potential for biodegradable alternatives to plastic, new medicinal compounds and high-value bio-products, while emerging areas such as non-animal food products, marine-based nutrition, waste-to-wealth technologies and export-oriented marine produce could tap growing international demand, particularly in Europe. He stressed the need to expand participation of self-help groups and women so that Blue Economy initiatives supplement household incomes and align with the “Vocal for Local” and “Local for Global” vision.
The renewed articulation of the Blue Economy strategy, however, comes against the backdrop of a prolonged and unresolved controversy surrounding the Union government’s proposed “Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island” project, which has become the most contentious environmental issue in the archipelago. Promoted by the NITI Aayog and to be implemented through the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation, the project envisages a transhipment port, an international airport, a township and associated power infrastructure on Great Nicobar, India’s southernmost island.
In November 2022, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change granted environmental, forest and Coastal Regulation Zone clearances for different components of the Great Nicobar project. The approvals involve diversion of extensive forest land in an ecologically sensitive region known for tropical rainforests, coral reefs and endemic wildlife such as the Nicobar megapode and the giant leatherback turtle. Great Nicobar also lies in a seismically active zone that was severely affected during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
The clearances were subsequently challenged before the National Green Tribunal by environmental groups and individuals, including the Conservation Action Trust and environmentalist Ashish Kothari, who questioned the adequacy of environmental impact assessments, baseline ecological data and compliance with coastal regulation norms. On April 3, 2023, the tribunal ordered the constitution of a high-powered committee headed by the Environment Secretary to review the clearances and directed that no irreversible construction activity be undertaken pending the review.
Concerns have also been raised over the project’s implications for indigenous communities, particularly the Shompen and Nicobarese tribes, whose reserves overlap with or lie close to proposed development areas. Anthropologists and social scientists have written to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes alleging that statutory clearances were granted without meaningful consultation with these communities and without full compliance with the Forest Rights Act and existing tribal protection regulations. The Tribal Council of Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar later withdrew an earlier no-objection certificate, citing a lack of clarity on land use and long-term impacts.
The high-powered committee’s report reviewing the clearances was eventually submitted to the National Green Tribunal in a sealed cover, a move that has itself become a subject of legal dispute. Petitioners have argued that withholding the report violates principles of natural justice. While the tribunal has declined to order full public disclosure, it has stated that it will not rely on any material not formally placed on record and accessible to all parties. Parallel proceedings related to the project are also pending before the Calcutta High Court.
As the government pushes forward with marine science, biotechnology and livelihood-focused initiatives under its Blue Economy framework, the outcome of ongoing judicial scrutiny of large infrastructure projects such as Great Nicobar is expected to play a critical role in shaping the future trajectory of development in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a region where strategic, economic and environmental considerations remain closely intertwined.
– global bihari bureau
