Sri Vijaya Puram, Apr. 28:The two-day A&N Conference, SANGITI-2025 (Survey of Andaman & Nicobar Governance Initiatives for Transformative Islands) got underway at DBRAIT today. Organized by A&N Administration, the Conference was inaugurated by Admiral D K Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM (Retd.), Hon’ble Lt. Governor, A&N Islands & Vice Chairman, Islands Development Agency by lighting the traditional oil lamp in the presence of Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Dr. Chandra Bhushan Kumar, IAS, Guest Speakers from NITI Aayog, Senior Officers of Defence & Civil Administration, Tourism Stakeholders and others. The session commenced by observing with a two-minute silence to pay tributes to those who lost their lives in the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the Lt. Governor said that conceptualization of this forum – open ended discussions involving stakeholders from different fields is a path breaking initiative of A&N Administration and its desired objective is for the attainment of the ‘Viksit Bharat Vision’ of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi by 2047 as also our march towards 5 trillion plus economy and what the UT’s contribution can be in this direction.
The Lt. Governor remarked that the UT Administration is committed to implement various socio-economic schemes including the Flagship Schemes effectively to trigger the overall development of the Island economy. He said, the UT Administration envisages to have a good quality of life thereby ensuring ‘Ease of Business’, ‘Ease of Living’ initiatives, provision of Power, drinkable water, Health Care for individuals and the Administration has done reasonably well to enable a society which is vibrant, culturally rich and harmonious.
Unlike mainland India, the UT Administration has successfully implemented various schemes of Central Government and remained as Table Topper in many of the nation-wide evaluation process done by various agencies from time to time and in most of the social indicators while out performing many States and UTs and also better ranked as compared to the National average. The UT of A&N Islands was felicitated as the “Top Achiever in Two Citizen Centric Reform Areas” in Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP)”. The Islands secured the top position in the 1st and 3rd Rozgar Melas by issuing the highest number of appointment letters. He said, 5000 unfilled vacancies were filled in a span of two years. Further, among all the UTs, and in the States of the Country, A&N Islands stood first as the first Swachh Sujal UT of the Country.
The Lt. Governor said that many transformational infrastructure projects have been taken up with the setting up of the ‘Islands Development Agency’ in the month of June, 2017. Many of the visionary & transformational projects have been completed viz. Optical Fiber Cable (OFC), Bridge on Humfrey Strait, New Airport Terminal Building etc. The Lt. Governor further mentioned that codal formalities have been completed or at various stages of completion in a vast number of infrastructure projects. The Lt. Governor said that with a vision to develop the Islands, the UT Administration has been pushing many major projects to have a total shift in the development trajectory of the Islands for the past few years.
The Lt. Governor pointed out the necessity for development of the A&N Islands as a premier scuba diving destination in the Indian Ocean Region, with the aim of attempting several underwater Guinness World Records.
The Lt. Governor also underscored the importance of ensuring a safe environment for tourists, particularly in light of the Pahalgam incident.
The Lt. Governor concluded his speech by mentioning that the outcome of the deliberations will help in bringing transformative changes in the overall development of the Island territory focusing on the pressing needs of this territory and leveraging the most promising available opportunities.
The Lt. Governor also launched the Andaman & Nicobar Islands Tourism App and released Tourism Activity Calendar. He also virtually inaugurated the ‘Roof Top Solar Power Plants’ installed in Government buildings and launched DAKSHATA programme on the occasion.

In his address, the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration informed that during the Chief Secretaries conference held in December, the Prime Minister has asked to organize similar kind of conference in States & UTs so that more engagements happen in ground levels and this conference is a continuation in that direction. The purpose of organizing this conference is to give meaningful engagements to ourselves so that we have a very clear-cut purposes to various themes & various issues regarding development. He said, this conference has been devised in 7 broad themes such as 1. Tourism, 2. Biodiversity, 3. Mobility, 4. Energy, 5. Strategic Security, 6. (A). Water, 6. (B). Circular economy, 7. (A)Production Economic- Agriculture, 7. (B) Production Economic-Fisheries. The two-days deliberations will surely help in preparing a roadmap particularly for the financial year-2025-2026 and planning for the future, the CS added.
Earlier, the Commissioner, A&N Administration, Shri ASPS Raviprakash, IAS, welcomed the gathering. The inaugural function concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by the Secretary (Planning), Dr. Aman Gupta, IAS.
The conference has been devised in 7 broad themes. Today, the speakers deliberated on themes such as Tourism, biodiversity, mobility and energy.

Sri Vijaya Puram, Apr 23: It was a moment of pride and international recognition as representatives from the Andaman & Nicobar Islands participated in the prestigious ASEAN-India Delegation during the MATTA Fair 2025, held from 18th to 20th April at MITEC, Kuala Lumpur. The participation was part of the ASEAN-India Tourism Professionals’ Exchange Program, under the banner of the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism 2025.
The ASEAN-India Pavilion at MATTA Fair was formally inaugurated by Mr. Pabitra Margherita, Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles, Government of India, in the presence of senior officials and delegates from ASEAN nations and India.
The event was coordinated by the Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) and brought together around 80 delegates from India and ASEAN countries, aimed at enhancing tourism collaboration, professional exchange, and destination promotion.
Representing the Andaman Islands at the event were:
Mrs. Jyoti Kumari, IAS, Secretary Tourism, A&N Administration
Mr. Mathew ,Assistant Manager, Tourism Department, A&N Administration
Mr. M. Vinod, President, Andaman Association of Tour Operators (AATO)
Mr. Sumit Lall, representative of Makruzz.

The Andaman delegation actively engaged with tourism boards, trade partners, and media representatives, showcasing the Islands as a unique and emerging destination for nature, culture, and adventure tourism.
Mr. M. Vinod expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Secretary (Tourism) and Director (Tourism), Andaman & Nicobar Administration for their constant support and for providing the opportunity to represent the islands on an international platform.
Participation in such global tourism events is key to positioning the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as a competitive and sustainable destination for international travellers, especially within the ASEAN market.

Sri Vijaya Puram, Apr 20: In a letter addressed to the CS, Mr. Bhasker stated that the cost of airlifting a stretcher patient is approximately ₹3 lakh. Additionally for flight tickets of attendants and medical services onboard, it will cost around 4 lakhs, which is far beyond what a common citizen can afford.
He added that this financial burden has led to numerous preventable deaths, as many patients fail to receive timely treatment due to their inability to arrange funds.
He highlighted that the existing healthcare infrastructure in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands is severely lacking, which makes emergency evacuation a necessity rather than a choice. He also emphasized on the need of appointing Neurologist & Nephrologist in G.B Pant Hospital to reduce mainland dependency for Neuro and Kidney related diseases which has become common in A&N Islands.
Further, he mentioned that the MRI Machine in G.B Pant Hospital is non-functional from around one year due to which the patients of G.B Pant Hospital are being referred to INHS Dhanvantari for necessary scan where they have to wait for months to get a date, hindering timely diagnosis and treatment.
Mr. Bhasker exhorted that the healthcare budget allocated for Andaman & Nicobar Islands for the year 2023-24 is ₹370 crores. He suggested that even if 2% of this budget (approximately ₹7.5 crores) is allocated for the airlifting of critically ill patients and improvement of hospital infrastructure, it would provide much-needed relief to the Islanders.
Concluding his letter, Mr. Bhasker requested the Chief Secretary to immediately intervene in this matter and take necessary steps to prevent further loss of lives.

Sri Vijaya Puram, Apr 16: The Andaman & Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee, under the leadership of its President Mr. Rangalal Halder and Campaign Committee Chairman Mr. TSG Bhasker organized a massive protest demonstration near the DC Office on 16th April to strongly condemn the alleged ongoing political vendetta unleashed by the BJP-led Modi Government.
The protest was a direct response to the unjust seizure of the National Herald’s assets and the filing of fake charge sheets against Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, and several other senior Congress leaders. Terming the actions as a blatant misuse of power and an attack on democratic principles, the protestors stood in firm solidarity with the national leadership.
The protest march commenced from the Congress Office, Port Blair, where hundreds of party workers and supporters gathered, raising slogans against the authoritarian tactics of the ruling regime. The crowd, holding placards and banners raised slogans against the central government’s attempts to tarnish the image of the Congress Party and silence the voice of the Opposition using ED & CBI.
Speaking at the protest, PCC President Mr. Rangalal Halder, The Mahila Congress State President Mrs. Zubaida Begum and The NSUI State President & Vice-President Youth Congress
Mr. M.A Sajid condemned the Modi Government’s systematic attempts to cripple the opposition using investigative agencies as tools of harassment. They reaffirmed that the Congress Party will continue to fight fearlessly against such undemocratic actions and will uphold the legacy of justice, truth, and freedom.
The demonstration drew widespread attention and participation from Several Senior Party leaders including AICC Members, the representatives of Mahila Congress, Congress Seva Dal, City Congress, NSUI, Youth Congress, District Congress, OBC Department, Minority Department, Unorganized Workers & Employees Congress, Fisherman Congress, INTUC, Congress PBMC Councilors, Congress PRI Members and party cadres.

 

Sri Vijaya Puram, Apr. 15: Admiral DK Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM, (Retd.), Hon’ble Lt. Governor, A&N Islands and Vice-Chairman, Islands Development Agency led the Islanders in paying rich tributes to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on his 134th Birth Anniversary yesterday. At a solemn function held at the statue of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar near the main entrance of Dr. B R Ambedkar Auditorium, SVPMC, Hon’ble Lt. Governor paid floral tributes to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
This was followed by paying of floral tributes by the Hon’ble Member of Parliament, A&N Islands, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Dr. Chandra Bhushan Kumar, IAS, Senior Officers of A&N Administration and general public.