Great Nicobar project strategic for security, Rajnath Singh tells Congress

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 25, 2026 12:44 PM IST Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's remarks on the Great Nicobar Island project were made in response to concerns raised by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh. (File photos)Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said the Great Nicobar Island project is a strategic national initiative to safeguard India’s maritime and commercial interests in the Indo‑Pacific, marking his first response to concerns raised by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on the mega project. The Rs 81,000 crore project, Singh said on July 17, will enhance India’s ability to sustain presence, move assets, and monitor critical sea lanes of communication.Singh was responding to a June 12 and May 16 correspondence by Ramesh, in which he had appealed to consider expanding existing defence assets