26 offshore islands to be tourism hub

Emphasising upon the tourism potential of islands, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underlined the need for expediting development of such places, 26 of which are proposed to be taken up for holistic improvement initially.

At a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on Wednesday, a presentation was given on the vision for holistic development, which involved inputs from the Niti Aayog, the ministry of home affairs and other senior officials.

India has a total of 1,382 offshore islands, out of which officials have initially proposed 26 which could be considered for holistic development, a PMO statement said. These 26 islands are located along different parts of India’s coastline, including some in the Andamans and Lakshadweep, it added.

Officials at the meeting held on Tuesday informed the Prime Minister that developmental activities shall be centred around basic infrastructure, tourism, agriculture (including organic agriculture and fisheries), and carbon-neutral energy generation. Emphasising the strategic importance of India’s island wealth, the Prime Minister stressed the potential for tourism in these areas, the statement said. Urging the officials to speedily firm up plans for island development, Mr Modi said solar energy should be used extensively in this exercise.