Background
Local self-government in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep rests on the Lakshadweep Panchayats Regulation, 1994, which the President of India promulgated on 23rd April, 1994 and which was brought into force in the Union Territory on 23.5.1995.
Under the first schedule of the Regulation there have to be 10 village (dweep) panchayats, one in each of the inhabited ten islands, and a District Panchayat for the whole of Lakshadweep.
The first village (dweep) panchayats were constituted in December 2002 and the District Panchayat in January 2003.
The ten village (dweep) panchayats have 79 members between them. The District Panchayat is made up of 22 directly elected members, the 10 chairpersons of the village (dweep) panchayats and the Member of Parliament representing Lakshadweep.
Of those seats, 30 members of the village (dweep) panchayats and 12 members of the District Panchayat are women, and four of the ten village panchayat chairpersons are women.
For community development work the territory is separately divided into five Community Development Blocks, with Kavaratti, Amini, Andrott, Minicoy and Kiltan as block head quarters.
A village panchayat prepares its own annual budget and development plan, and these are placed before the District Panchayat meeting and go forward with the recommendation of the District Panchayat.
Governing Regulation:
Lakshadweep Panchayats Regulation, 1994
Village (Dweep) Panchayats:
10
District Panchayat:
1
Members of the village (dweep) panchayats:
79
Directly elected members of the District Panchayat:
22
Why it matters for exams: Panchayati Raj in a union territory is set up by a Regulation made by the President rather than by a state Act, and Lakshadweep is the clearest example: one district, ten island panchayats and a single District Panchayat that includes the territory's Member of Parliament.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Regulation Regulation made for a Union Territory — A law made for a union territory by the President instead of by a legislature.
Dweep Panchayat Village (Dweep) Panchayat — The island-level village panchayat in Lakshadweep, one for each inhabited island.
Community Development Block Community Development Block — An administrative unit through which rural development schemes are carried out.
Background
Prior to the formation of this Union Territory on 1st November,1956, these islands formed part of the erstwhile Madras State. The Union Territory was formed in 1956 and it was named Lakshadweep in 1973.
The Administrator appointed under Article 239 of the constitution is the head of this U.T.
The entire group of islands is considered as one District and was divided into four Tahsils, each put in charge of a Tahsildar, except Minicoy where the post of Tahsildar was abolished and a Deputy Collector appointed in August,1978.
The headquarters of the Administration was shifted from Calicut in Kerala State to Kavaratti Island in March,1964, and when annual expenditure crossed Rs. 3 Crores the departments were decentralised and new offices were created in 1972.
The lowest revenue official on each island was known as 'Amin' in the Laccadive group and Minicoy and as 'Karani' in the Amindivi group; all are now designated 'Amin'.
Under colonial rule the British brought in the Lakshadweep Regulation 1912, which conferred limited judicial and magisterial powers on the Amins and Karanis of the islands and also restricted the entry of outsiders.
Before that, five islands of the Amini group had passed to Tipu Sultan in 1783 at the islanders' own request, and after the battle of Seringapattom in 1799 the islands were annexed to the British East India Company and administered from Mangalore; the remaining islands were handed over to the Company in 1854.
Earlier part of:
erstwhile Madras State
Year the Union Territory was formed:
1956
Year it was named Lakshadweep:
1973
Administrator appointed under:
Article 239
Tahsils the single district was divided into:
four Tahsils
Year the headquarters moved to Kavaratti:
1964
Why it matters for exams: The year of formation and the later change of name are asked as separate facts, and the shift of the headquarters from the Malabar coast to Kavaratti explains why so much of the territory's administration is still tied to Kerala.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Tahsil Tahsil (Tehsil) — A revenue subdivision of a district, headed by a Tahsildar.
Amin Amin — The lowest revenue official on each island of Lakshadweep.
Amindivi group Amindivi group of islands — The northern group of the Lakshadweep islands, administered separately from the Laccadive group in colonial times.
Background
Kavaratti is the capital of the Union Territory Lakshadweep and the Kavaratti Island is the headquarters of the Union Territory.
The island is at a distance of 404 km (218 nautical miles) from Kochi and is located between Agatti Island on the west and Andrott Island on the east, in the centre of the Lakshadweep archipelago.
It has an area of 4.22 sq km, a maximum length of 5.8 km and a width of 1.6 Km, and its lagoon runs about 6 km with an area of 4.96 sq km.
The island stands 2 to 5 m above the mean sea level on the western side and 2 to 3 m on the eastern side, and it has a small inland lake at its northern end.
At the 2011 census Kavaratti had a population of 11221, a density of 2396 per sq km and a literacy rate of 88.29.
Kavaratti has the maximum number of mosques in Lakshadweep: out of the 52 mosques, one of the oldest and most striking is the Ujra mosque built by Sheikh Mohammad Kasim, a 17th century structure with an ornate ceiling, while the Jamnath mosque has the largest tank of any mosque in the islands.
Kavaratti has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under the Smart Cities Mission.
Total geographical area:
4.22 sq km
Distance from Kochi:
404 km (218 nautical miles)
Population (2011):
11221
Literacy rate:
88.29
Mosques on the island:
52
Why it matters for exams: The capital of Lakshadweep and its position in the archipelago are standard map questions, and the distance from Kochi is how papers test that an aspirant knows the territory is a long way offshore.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Lagoon Lagoon — The shallow stretch of water held between an island and the coral reef that rings it.
Nautical mile Nautical mile — A unit of distance used at sea, a little longer than a kilometre and a half.
Background
The Minicoy Island is the southern-most island of Lakshadweep, situated at a distance of 398 km (215 nautical miles) south-west of Kochi, having an area of 4.80 sq km, and it is 11 km long and crescent shaped.
It is the second largest island of the territory. The closest land to Minicoy is Thuraakunu Island in the Republic of the Maldives, which the Administration records as about 100 km to the south across the Vangaaru Channel.
The languages spoken are Hindi, English, Malayalam and Mahal, and the Administration describes Minicoy as the only people in India speaking Mahal, as a linguistic minority.
The island is organised into 10 villages known as 'Avah', named Bada, Aoumagu, Boduathiri, Rammedu, Sedivalu, Aloodi, Funhilol, Kudehi, Falessery and Kendiparty from south to north. Each Avah has its own internal organisation headed by a Moopan, and each village is headed by a Bodukaka and a Bodudatha, the first Bodukaka looking after internal matters and the second external affairs.
The village house is where the 'Baemedu', the assemblage of villagers, is held.
'Lava' is the most popular dance form on Minicoy, where the rest of the territory's popular folk arts are Kolkali and Parichakali, and the colourful race boat of the island is the 'Jahadhoni'.
The lighthouse of the island is one of the oldest and was constructed in 1885. The Administration's island-at-a-glance table gives Minicoy a population of 10447 at the 2011 census and a literacy rate of 93.01.
Total geographical area:
4.80 sq km
Distance from Kochi:
398 km (215 nautical miles)
Villages known as Avah:
10
Population (2011):
10447
Literacy rate:
93.01
Why it matters for exams: Minicoy is the one island of Lakshadweep that is culturally and linguistically distinct from the rest, and the Mahal language and the Avah village system are the facts papers use to test whether that distinction is understood rather than memorised.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Avah Avah — A traditional village of Minicoy, each with its own village house and office-bearers.
Mahal Mahal — The language of Minicoy, written by the Lakshadweep Administration as Mahal.
Linguistic minority Linguistic minority — A community whose mother tongue is different from that of most people in the state or territory.
Baemedu Baemedu — The assemblage of villagers held in the village house of an Avah in Minicoy.
Background
Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) is an indigenous technology developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, to convert sea water to potable water.
Desalination plants based on LTTD technology are operational across eight islands of Lakshadweep, including Kavaratti, Minicoy, Agatti, Amini, Kalpeni, Kadamat, Chetlat and Kiltan.
The technology converts seawater into potable water by utilising the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep-sea water drawn from depths of around 350 to 400 metres. The warm seawater is flash-evaporated under low pressure and the vapour is condensed using cold seawater from the deep ocean.
The process needs no chemical additives and no high-pressure membranes, and it avoids the discharge of concentrated brine, which can affect fragile coral ecosystems.
The first LTTD plant in Lakshadweep was commissioned in Kavaratti in 2005. The first three plants, at Kavaratti, Agati and Minicoy, each had a capacity of 1 Lakh litre of potable water per day.
Six more plants, at Amini, Androth, Chetlet, Kadmat, Kalpeni and Kiltan, were taken up with a capacity of 1.5 lakhs litres/day, at a total cost of Rs. 187.75 cr.
The technology suits these islands because the temperature difference of about 15 degrees Celsius that it needs between sea surface water and deep-sea water is found in the vicinity of Lakshadweep coasts, where groundwater is limited and salinity intrusion is a standing problem.
Technology developed by:
National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT)
Islands with operational LTTD plants:
eight islands
Depth of the cold seawater drawn:
350 to 400 metres
Capacity of each of the first three plants:
1 Lakh litre of potable water per day
Total cost of the six later plants:
Rs. 187.75 cr
Why it matters for exams: LTTD is the standard example of an indigenous ocean technology solving a civilian problem, and the island list, the depth and the temperature difference are the three things a paper can test about it.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
LTTD Low Temperature Thermal Desalination — A desalination method that uses the temperature gap between warm surface seawater and cold deep seawater.
NIOT National Institute of Ocean Technology — An autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences that builds ocean technology.
Brine Concentrated brine — The very salty water left over by most desalination plants, which can harm marine life where it is discharged.
Salinity intrusion Salinity intrusion — Seawater seeping into fresh groundwater, which makes wells on small islands undrinkable.
Background
The oceanic birds generally found in Lakshadweep are Tharathasi (Sterna fuscata) and Karifetu (Anous solidus). They are generally found in one of the uninhabited islands known as PITTI, and this island has been declared as a bird sanctuary.
Coconut, Thenga (Cacos nucifera) is the only crop of economic importance in Lakshadweep, and it is grown in varieties such as Laccadive micro, Laccadive ordinary and green dwarf.
Two different varieties of sea grass are seen adjacent to the beaches, Thalassia hemprichin and Cymodocea isoetifolia; they prevent sea erosion and the movement of the beach sediments.
Banana, Colocassia (Colocassia antiquarum), drumstick (Moringa Oleifera), bread fruit (Artocarpus incisa) and wild almond (Terminalia Catappa) are grown extensively, while shrub jungle plants such as Kanni, Punna, Chavok (Casurina equisetifolia) and Cheerani (Thespesia Populnea) are unevenly grown throughout the islands.
Among molluscan forms the money cowrie (cypraea monita) is found in abundance in the shallow lagoons and reefs, and among crabs the hermit crab is the most common.
Colourful coral fish found in plenty include parrot fish (Callyedon sordidus), butterfly fish (Chaetodon auriga) and surgeon fish (Acanthurus lineotus).
Uninhabited island declared a bird sanctuary:
PITTI
Only crop of economic importance:
Coconut, Thenga (Cacos nucifera)
Oceanic birds generally found:
Tharathasi (Sterna fuscata) and Karifetu (Anous solidus)
Sea grasses adjacent to the beaches:
Thalassia hemprichin and Cymodocea isoetifolia
Why it matters for exams: Two facts here are asked again and again: that an uninhabited island of Lakshadweep is a bird sanctuary, and that coconut is the territory's single crop of economic importance, which is why coir and copra dominate its industry.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Sea grass Sea grass — A flowering plant that grows in shallow seawater and holds the sea bed and the beach in place.
Money cowrie Money cowrie (cypraea monita) — A small sea snail whose shell was once used as currency across the Indian Ocean.
Sea erosion Sea erosion — The wearing away of a shoreline by waves and currents.
Background
Lakshadweep is a group of 36 islands with an area of 32 sq km, and is India's smallest Union Territory. The UT Administration describes it as a uni-district Union Territory comprised of 12 atolls, three reefs, five submerged banks and ten inhabited islands. Kavaratti is the capital and also the principal town of the UT. All the islands lie 220 to 440 km away from the coastal city of Kochi in Kerala, in the Arabian Sea. Andrott, with an area of 4.90 sq km, is the largest island, the nearest island to the mainland, and the only island having a very small lagoon area. Bitra is the smallest inhabited island, with a land area of 0.105 sq km but a lagoon area of 45.61 sq km. Minicoy is the southernmost island and the second largest; it lies near the 9° Channel, one of the busiest shipping routes, and the closest land to it is an island of the Republic of the Maldives about 100 km to the south. Kavaratti itself lies between Agatti Island on the west and Andrott Island on the east.
Islands in the archipelago:
36 islands
Total land area:
32 sq km
Composition of the territory:
12 atolls, three reefs, five submerged banks and ten inhabited islands
Distance of the islands from Kochi:
220 to 440 km
Area of Andrott, the largest island:
4.90 sq km
Land area of Bitra, the smallest inhabited island:
0.105 sq km
Lagoon area of Bitra:
45.61 sq km
Distance from Minicoy to the nearest Maldivian island:
about 100 km to the south
Why it matters for exams: The island superlatives and the 9° Channel are asked repeatedly in Kerala PSC and UPSC geography questions, and Lakshadweep's distance from Kochi ties it directly to Kerala papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Atoll Ring-shaped coral island — A ring of coral reef enclosing a shallow lagoon, with low sandy islands sitting on the ring.
Lagoon Sheltered water inside a reef — The calm shallow water held between an island's shore and the reef that rings it.
Submerged bank Shoal below the sea surface — A raised sea-floor platform that never reaches the surface, so it forms no island.
Background
Against a land area of just 32 sq km, Lakshadweep has a vast lagoon covering 4,200 square kilometers, territorial waters spanning 20,000 square kilometers, an Exclusive Economic Zone of 400,000 square kilometers and a coastal line of approximately 132 kilometers. Tuna is the primary fishery resource in these islands. The islands employ a unique fishing method known as Pole and Line, which exclusively targets tuna, and this method is found only in Lakshadweep within the Indian continent. The Department of Fisheries was established during 1959. Fish production has risen steadily from a modest 500 tonnes in the 1950s to 16891 metric tonnes in 2024-25. Anchored Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) have been deployed in selective territorial waters; they attract pelagic fish like tuna and bring fuel savings, reduced scouting time and greater safety during fishing operations. Processing is being revived through the Tuna Canning Factory at Minicoy, and two islands, Chetlat and Minicoy, have been selected under the Climate Resilient Coastal Fishing Village Scheme. On land the picture is very different: coconut is the only crop of economic importance in Lakshadweep, grown in varieties such as Laccadive micro and Laccadive ordinary.
Lagoon area:
4,200 square kilometers
Territorial waters:
20,000 square kilometers
Exclusive Economic Zone:
400,000 square kilometers
Coastal line:
approximately 132 kilometers
Fish production:
16891 metric tonnes in 2024-25
Department of Fisheries set up:
established during 1959
Land area of the territory:
32 sq km
Only crop of economic importance:
Coconut, Thenga (Cacos nucifera) is the only crop of economic importance in Lakshadweep
Why it matters for exams: Pole and line fishing being unique to Lakshadweep within India, and the EEZ-to-land contrast, are the two facts examiners use to test whether a candidate understands an island economy.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Pole and Line One-fish-at-a-time hook fishing — Tuna are caught singly on a baited hook fixed to a pole, rather than in nets.
EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone — The belt of sea beyond territorial waters where a coastal state alone may exploit marine resources.
FAD Fish Aggregating Device — A floating structure anchored at sea that gathers shoaling fish around it.
Pelagic fish Open-water fish — Fish that live in the open water column rather than near the sea bed.
Background
The UT Administration states plainly that Lakshadweep is under the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kerala. There is a Munsiff Court in Andrott with jurisdiction over Kavaratti, Andrott, Minicoy and Kalpeni, and another Munsiff Court in Amini with jurisdiction over Amini, Agatti, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat and Bitra; both also function as Courts of Judicial Magistrate of First Class, and the Judicial Magistrate at Andrott holds the charge of Chief Judicial Magistrate. The Sub Court of Kavaratti was upgraded as District and Sessions Court with effect from April 1997. The entire Union Territory is considered as one district, with 10 Sub Divisions at present and five Community Development Blocks with Kavaratti, Amini, Andrott, Minicoy and Kiltan as block headquarters. Revenue, land settlement and law and order come under the Collector cum Development Commissioner, who is also the District Magistrate, while the Administrator commands the Lakshadweep Police as its Inspector General. The Administration Secretariat was shifted from Kozhikode to Kavaratti in March 1964. The Lakshadweep Lok Sabha constituency is the only parliamentary constituency representing the entire Union Territory, and the seat is reserved for Scheduled Tribes. The territory has 1 Zilla Panchayat and 10 Village (Dweep) Panchayats.
High Court with jurisdiction over the territory:
Lakshadweep is under the jurisdiction of High Court of Kerala
Upgrade of the Sub Court at Kavaratti:
District and Sessions Court with effect from April 1997
Districts in the Union Territory:
The entire Union Territory of Lakshadweep is considered as one district
Sub Divisions at present:
At present there are 10 Sub Divisions
Community Development Blocks:
five Community Development Blocks
Shift of the Administration Secretariat:
shifted from Kozhikode to Kavaratti in March 1964
Lok Sabha representation:
the only parliamentary constituency representing the entire Union Territory
Reservation of the Lok Sabha seat:
reserved for Scheduled Tribes
Why it matters for exams: Which High Court covers Lakshadweep is a standing Kerala PSC question, and the single ST-reserved Lok Sabha seat is a standard polity fact for UPSC prelims.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Munsiff Court Lowest civil court — The court of first instance for small civil suits in a local area.
Administrator Head of a Union Territory's administration — The officer appointed by the President to administer a Union Territory on the Union's behalf.
Community Development Block Rural development unit — The administrative unit through which rural development schemes are carried out.
Background
The Lakshadweep Administration describes the Union Territory as 12 atolls, three reefs and five submerged banks. Ten islands are inhabited: Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra, Andrott, Kalpeni and Minicoy. Alongside these the administration counts 17 uninhabited islands with attached islets and four newly formed islets. The total land area is 32 sq km, while the lagoon area is about 4,200 sq km. Territorial waters run to 20,000 sq km and the economic zone to about 4 lakhs sq km. The population recorded for the Union Territory is 64429 persons. The uninhabited island of Bangaram was enumerated and returned a population of 61 persons.
Atolls:
12
Reefs:
three
Submerged banks:
five
Land area:
32 Sq.Kms
Lagoon area:
about 4,200 Sq.kms
Population:
64429 persons
Why it matters for exams: The atoll-reef-bank count and the ten inhabited islands are the standard one-mark facts on Lakshadweep.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Atoll — A ring-shaped coral reef enclosing a lagoon.
Lagoon — The shallow sheltered water between an island and its surrounding reef.
Economic zone Exclusive Economic Zone — The sea belt where a coastal state has the sole right to explore and use marine resources.
Background
The Lakshadweep Administration records Bitra as the smallest inhabited island in the territory, with a land area of 0.105 sq km. It is 0.57 km long and 0.28 km wide at its broadest point, but its lagoon covers 45.61 sq km. Bitra lies at 11 degrees 36 minutes North and 72 degrees 11 minutes East, 483 km or 261 nautical miles from Kochi. The recorded population is 271. The administration notes that before 1835 the island was a breeding ground for seabirds. The first permanent settler was a woman from Chetlat who, with her son, set up a house there around 1945. A small shrine to Malik Mulla, an Arab saint said to be buried there, draws pilgrims from the neighbouring islands.
Land area:
0.105 sq km
Lagoon area:
45.61 sq km
Population:
271
Distance from Kochi:
483 km (261 nautical miles)
Why it matters for exams: Smallest and largest units of a Union Territory are routine one-mark questions, and Bitra is the extreme case in Lakshadweep.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Nautical mile — A unit of distance at sea, longer than a land mile, used in navigation.
Background
The Lakshadweep Administration's own description of its administrative setup lists 10 sub divisions in all. Eight of them have island-based Sub Divisional Officers, while Minicoy and Agatti have Deputy Collectors. There are five community development blocks, with headquarters at Kavaratti, Amini, Andrott, Minicoy and Kiltan. The Collector functions as Collector cum Development Commissioner and also as District Magistrate, handling revenue, land settlement and law and order. The Administrator is the Inspector General of Lakshadweep Police and has command and control over the force. Lakshadweep Police has a sanctioned strength of 349 personnel for 9 police stations, 2 police out posts and 1 police aid post.
Sub divisions:
10
Community development blocks:
Five
Police sanctioned strength:
349 personnel
Police stations:
9
Why it matters for exams: Who holds which office in a Union Territory without a legislature is asked directly in state and central exams.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
District Magistrate — The officer in charge of law and order and executive magistracy in a district.
Sub Divisional Officer — The revenue and general administration officer in charge of a sub division.