UN Watchdog Questions Great Nicobar Project, India Hits Back
New Delhi | August 27, 2026 A fresh confrontation has emerged between India and a United Nations human-rights watchdog over the proposed development of Great Nicobar Island , with the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) calling for suspension of the projects pending independent assessments, while the Government of India has rejected the committee's observations as “politically motivated” and “highly malicious.” The development has brought the long-running debate over the Great Nicobar infrastructure project back into the national spotlight, placing Indigenous rights, environmental concerns and India's development priorities at the centre of the discussion. In its concluding observations on India, CERD expressed concern over the potential impact of major infrastructure and development projects on Indigenous and tribal communities. With regard to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the committee recommended that India suspend implementation of the pr...