The Great Nicobar Island Development Project (GNIDP) is a large-scale infrastructure initiative, or scheme, proposed by the Government of India to transform the southernmost island of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago into a major strategic and economic hub.
The project was conceived by NITI Aayog and formally approved by the Cabinet in 2021 as the Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island. Its primary purpose is to leverage the island's location, which is approximately 150 kilometers from the Strait of Malacca, to strengthen India's strategic presence in the Indian Ocean and reduce reliance on foreign transshipment ports like Singapore and Colombo. The total estimated cost of the project is approximately ₹81,000 crore.
The mechanism involves a phased 30-year development plan, executed by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO). Key components include a Greenfield International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Galathea Bay with a capacity of 14.2 million TEU, a dual-use Greenfield International Airport, a 450 MVA gas-solar power plant, and a new township. The project aligns with national initiatives such as the Sagarmala initiative, Maritime India Vision 2030, and the Act East Policy.
The project has seen recent changes and developments, including receiving environmental clearance in November 2022 under the EIA Notification, 2006 and ICRZ Notification, 2019. In a significant shift, the project, initially presented as a commercial hub, was recast as a "strategic" project by the Ministry of Defence in March 2026. The government maintains that tribal welfare is central, with no displacement proposed for the indigenous Shompen and Nicobarese communities, and that the project is fully aligned with the Shompen Policy of 2015. Challenges to the environmental clearance were dismissed by the National Green Tribunal in February 2026.