Three districts, 836 islands and a Lieutenant Governor: how the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are run

Background

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a union territory run by the Andaman & Nicobar Administration, whose Secretariat sits at Sri Vijaya Puram. A Lieutenant Governor heads the administration, with a Chief Secretary as the senior civil servant, and the union territory also has a Member of Parliament. The territory profile published by the administration gives a total area of 8,249 Sq. Km., 836 islands, islets and rocky outcrops of which 31 are inhabited, an estimated population of 4,34,192, three districts and nine tehsils. The three districts are South Andaman, North and Middle Andaman, and Nicobar. The official languages are Hindi & English. Current work of the administration includes a gazette notification carrying the questionnaire for the second phase population enumeration of Census 2027, a Jantha Darshan appointment system for the public to meet officials, and guidelines for registration under the Bed Breakfast Scheme of the Directorate of Tourism.