- Why in news
- On 1 May 2026, PIB released an explainer on the Great Nicobar Project. It sets out the port, airport, power plant and township, the environmental clearance, and the tribal safeguards.
- What it is
- The Great Nicobar Project is a plan for the holistic development of Great Nicobar Island, the southernmost island of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It centres on a container transhipment port at Galathea Bay, with an airport, a power plant and a township. It is meant to give India a maritime hub near the East-West shipping route in the Indian Ocean Region.
- Location advantage
- The Galathea Bay port is about 40 nautical miles from the East-West shipping route and has natural depth of over 20 metres.
- Components
- The project has a 14.2 million TEU transhipment terminal, a greenfield airport, a 450 MVA gas-solar power plant and a township.
Don’t confuse with Shompen vs Jarawa: Both are PVTGs of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Shompen live in Great Nicobar; the Jarawa live in South and Middle Andaman.
Don’t confuse with Nicobarese vs Shompen: The Nicobarese are the larger coastal group. The Shompen are a small PVTG of hunter-gatherers living in the interior forest.
Places in the news: 26 Prelims questions since 2013, rising (12% of news questions in 2022–26); they test location and why it matters.
Why it matters
- Gives India a transhipment hub near the East-West shipping route, reducing reliance on Colombo, Singapore and Klang.
- Strengthens defence and maritime presence in the Indian Ocean Region and Indo-Pacific.
- The airport, power plant and township can boost tourism and local growth.
Problems
- Forest diversion and felling of up to 7.11 lakh trees in an ecologically sensitive island.
- Risk to the Shompen and Nicobarese, small tribal groups, from de-notifying tribal reserve land.
- The island is seismically active and cyclone-prone, which adds risk to a large port.
Way forward
- Ensure the three monitoring committees work independently and publish their findings.
- Seek consent and consultation from the tribal communities under the Shompen Policy 2015.
- Phase tree felling and keep strict disaster-management and mitigation measures.
Put in your answer
Forest diversion: The project will divert 1.82% of the forest cover of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Shompen Policy: The project is said to align with the Shompen Policy of 2015 on PVTG welfare.
- 2026Mains GS1 · Q16Examine shift of global trade centre to Indo-Pacific
- 2016Mains GS3 · Q14Mitigating rehabilitation of human settlements from major development projects
- 2025Mains GS3 · Q20Maritime security for sea trade; challenges and way forward
- 2017Prelims Q98Island geographically closest to Great Nicobar among given options
- 1995Prelims Q69Which listed site does not belong to biosphere reserves
- 1996Prelims Q48Location of Saddle Peak, Andaman and Nicobar's highest peak
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
True or false?
1 of 4
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.The proposed transhipment port at Galathea Bay is about 40 nautical miles from the East-West international shipping route.
True. The port is about 40 nautical miles from the East-West route.
2.The Overarching Committee for coordinating EC/CRZ conditions is chaired by the Chief Secretary of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration.
True. The Chief Secretary, A&N Administration chairs it.
3.The Shompen are a coastal, fishing-dependent community of the island.
False. The Shompen are hunter-gatherers; the Nicobarese live in coastal settlements and fish.
4.Great Nicobar Island is part of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
True. It is the southernmost island of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands UT.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Mains practice
15 marks · 250 words
The PIB has recently released an explainer on the Great Nicobar Project, which includes a container transhipment port, an airport, a power plant and a township. Examine the strategic and economic significance of the project for India. Critically analyse the environmental and tribal-rights concerns it raises and suggest a way forward.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.