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Andaman and Nicobar’s development crucial for India’s ‘Act East’ policy: PM Modi
The Prime Minister made the comments after virtually inaugurating the 2,300-km undersea cable project connecting Chennai in Tamil Nadu and Port Blair.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday the importance of the strategic Andaman and Nicobar Islands has increased in the light of India’s ‘Act East’ policy as he launched the submarine optical fibre cable (OFC), which will give a major boost to the local economy and tourism among other sectors.
The Prime Minister made the comments after virtually inaugurating the 2,300-km undersea cable project connecting Chennai in Tamil Nadu and Port Blair.
“The Indian Ocean has been the centre of India’s trade and strategic prowess for thousands of years. Now that India is following the new policy and practice
of trade and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, the importance of our islands including Andaman and Nicobar has increased,” PM Modi said.
“Under the Act East policy, Andaman and Nicobar’s role in India’s strong relations with east Asian countries and other countries associated with the sea is very important and it is going to increase,” he said.
The Act East policy, a key foreign policy approach, is India’s effort aimed at bolstering extensive strategic and economic ties with southeast Asian countries that would possibly act a counterweight to the influence of China in the region.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are also home to India’s only tri-services command, the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), which has become strategically important amid the Chinese aggression in the region.
“This optical fibre cable project, connecting Andaman and Nicobar with rest of the country, is a symbol of our commitment towards the ease of living. Be it online classes, tourism, banking, shopping or telemedicine, thousands of families in Andaman and Nicobar will now get its access,” he said.
“The completion of the work of laying 2,300 km long cable undersea before the scheduled time is praiseworthy. Deep-sea surveys, maintaining cable quality and laying cable using special ships is not easy,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi had said earlier in the day that the inauguration of the submarine optical fibre cable in Andaman and Nicobar Islands will ensure high-speed
broadband connectivity, fast and reliable mobile and landline telecom services and delivery of e-governance platforms to the islands, crucial for India’s security.
“Today, 10th August is a special day for my sisters & brothers of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. At 10:30 this morning, the submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) connecting Chennai and Port Blair will be inaugurated,” PM Modi had tweeted.
The cable will enhance broadband and telecom facilities on the islands, according to a release by the Prime Minister’s Office. The foundation stone for the project was laid by PM Modi on December 30, 2018, at Port Blair.
