Sri Vijaya Puram, June 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) Lieutenant Governor Admiral (Retd.) D.K. Joshi urged businesses to become stakeholders in integrating the Andaman and Nicobar Islands into India's economic and strategic mainstream, an official said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Andaman Ideas Summit 2026, Joshi said the islands represent one of India's most significant yet underappreciated national assets and require sustained participation from industry, policymakers and civil society to unlock their full potential.
"Not only for them to bring in investments into the islands, which we certainly hope they do, but to become invested in the idea of getting Andaman its rightful place in the national mainstream discourse," Joshi said at the Summit 2026 on Monday.
Despite their strategic importance, Joshi said the islands remained underdeveloped for decades after Independence due to limited infrastructure and connectivity.
That situation, he argued, has begun to change over the past decade through a series of projects aimed at strengthening integration with the mainland and improving logistics.
He cited initiatives such as the Chennai-Andaman submarine optical fibre cable, airport expansion programmes, proposed greenfield airports, port-led development projects and enhanced inter-island connectivity as examples of the transformation underway.
Describing the summit as akin to an investors' meet, the Lieutenant Governor said the gathering had brought together leaders from tourism, hospitality, infrastructure, business, government and policy circles at a time when the islands were emerging as an increasingly important part of India's development and strategic agenda.
Joshi argued that while the Andaman and Nicobar Islands enjoy unique geographical advantages, geography alone does not automatically translate into economic prosperity or strategic leverage.
"Geography bestows upon you an advantage, but left to itself, it does not turn into leverage," he said.
According to Joshi, converting those natural advantages into economic and strategic outcomes requires investments in infrastructure, connectivity, industries and economic activity.
The Lieutenant Governor used the occasion to highlight the scale and significance of the archipelago, which he said remains poorly understood by many on the Indian mainland.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands account for nearly one-third of India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and approximately one-fourth of the country's coastline, placing them at the centre of India's maritime interests, he said.
Source: IANS
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