Port Blair, Apr 08: The Andaman and Nicobar Administration had constituted a Study Group under the Chairmanship of Lt. Gen. Gautam Banerjee, PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd.) to prepare a Development Plan-2030 entailing short-term as well as long-term measures for comprehensive and sustainable development of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Study Group has presented the Study Report to Lt. Gen. A. K. Singh PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd.), Lieutenant Governor of A & N Islands in a well attended function held on 07.04.2016, in the Andaman Nicobar Bhavan, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. A. K. Singla, Secretary (Planning) besides Senior Officers who earlier served in the islands were also present in the function.
The Lt. Governor said that Andaman & Nicobar is a very different territory with four centres of Gravity: first is its Strategic Importance due to geopolitical factors; Second is the people of A & N, majority of whom have been settled after independence; Third is Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups living in these forests since ages; and fourth is Ecology, which has to be sustainably maintained, while ramping up the pace of development. All these four centres of gravity have to live in harmony with each other. Speaking on the occasion, he apprised that after working for about a year since July 2013, he felt that though A & N was progressing and many development projects like Medical College, Health Insurance, Andaman College, Community College, Chartered flights have come up, still there was a gap of a holistic picture of Development.
Thus this study group of eminent specialists was requested to take up this study. It is hoped that this will help in enhancing the pace of a balanced development keeping overall picture in mind and Administration would be able to find adequate resources for it. He thanked the study group for taking up this gigantic task. The report will be submitted to the Home Ministry in due course.
