Strategic significance of Lakshadweep

Strategic significance of Lakshadweep

GS-I, II, III: Geography, International Relations, Internal Security

(UPSC/State PSC)

Important for Prelims

Lakshadweep, Coastal Range of India, Project Seabird, Hambantota Port, Chennai, Kochi and Visakhapatnam Ports, INS Kadamba, Binga Bay, Exclusive Economic Zone, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

Important for Mains

India's coastal boundary, China's extended structure, India's response, strategic importance of Lakshadweep, conclusion.

Jan. 15, 2024

Context:

Recently, Lakshadweep has been in the news strategically due to the India-Maldives political dispute. This dispute stems from the Maldives' economic ambitions in the Indian Ocean and China's reaction to China's expansionist policy. Due to this, the unique culture and tradition of the beautiful islands here can be destroyed.

India's coastal range:

  • India's total coastal range is seven thousand five hundred sixteen kilometers. It extends to the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal as well as the Union Territories of Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The state of Kerala, situated between the Arabian Sea and the Sahyadri mountain ranges on the south-western border of India, is considered a major center of India's strategic security.

China's extended framework:

  • China has increased India's strategic challenges by building infrastructure projects and ports in many countries bordering the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Over the past few decades, China has rapidly modernized its naval capabilities.
  • China is building Hambantota port city in Sri Lanka, about three hundred km away from India. Similarly, it controls several islands of the Maldives and is building an airport there. The distance from Hambantota to Chennai, Kochi and Visakhapatnam ports is about nine hundred to fifteen hundred kilometers. Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, which is very important for the Indian space programme, is also at a distance of about eleven hundred kilometers. The importance of Lakshadweep has increased for India to deal with the increase in the number and activities of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean region and to establish a new surveillance system.

India's Response:

  • India has also strengthened its navy and coast guard forces in the last few years to counter China. Along with this, Lakshadweep is very important among the centers which India has identified to enhance its maritime security capabilities.
  • The lagoons and exclusive economic zones around the Lakshadweep Islands contain important fisheries and mineral resources, which are of immense economic importance. India is developing Agalega Island in Mauritius. Lakshadweep becoming a connectivity point between India and Agalega Islands will give India a strategic edge over China in the Indian Ocean region.
  • A naval base is being constructed in Karwar, Karnataka on the west coast of India, six hundred and fifty kilometers away from Kochi. ‘Project Seabird’ at Karwar Naval Base is the country's largest naval infrastructure project, which aims to provide support and maintenance to the fleet of warships. It is beyond the reach of most warplanes from neighboring countries and is located very close to the world's busiest shipping route between the Persian Gulf and East Asia. INS Kadamba is an integrated strategic naval base of the Indian Navy, located at Binga Bay near Karwar in Karnataka on the west coast of India. It is currently the third largest Indian naval base and once fully expanded, it will be the largest naval base in the Eastern Hemisphere.

About Lakshadweep:

  • Lakshadweep is a group of thirty-six islands and its total area is thirty-two square kilometers. It extends for about thirty thousand square miles in the Arabian Sea.

Strategic significance of Lakshadweep:

  • The Arabian Sea borders Yemen, Oman, Pakistan, Iran, India and Maldives. It is a maritime area that connects many important shipping lanes and ports, hence it is a very important area for international trade.
  • The Arabian Sea has large reserves of oil and natural gas and is also an important resource of energy in the region. Lakshadweep Islands can be used as a vantage point to keep an eye on any movement of ships in the Arabian Sea.
  • The size of the Exclusive Economic Zone of India is very large and it also includes Lakshadweep. Exclusive Economic Zone extends up to a distance of two hundred nautical miles i.e. 370 kilometers from the coastline of any country. Due to Lakshadweep, India has got control over a large area of the sea, through which the movement of ships passing far and wide can be monitored. There is an Indian naval base on Kavaratti island of Lakshadweep. Along with this, India is now preparing a strong base on Lakshadweep, which is expected to be of great help in competing with China.
  • Kochi is a port city of Kerala, which is adjacent to the Lakshadweep Sea. Kochi is considered an important gateway to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. It handles a significant portion of the state's imports and exports, including agricultural products, industrial goods and raw materials. It has been an important port city of the world since ancient times, attracting traders from different parts of the world, including the Middle East and Europe. Kochi port is connected to international markets through regular shipping services.
  • Vikram Sarabhai Space Center is located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Here designing and development of satellite launch vehicles and related technologies is done. This premier center of ISRO, responsible for the design and development of rocket technology, conducts active research and development in the areas of aeronautics, space armaments, structures, space physics and system reliability. Therefore, for the security of these centres, it is very important to strengthen India's strategic capability on the Lakshadweep Islands.
  • The Nine Degree Channel, located off the Lakshadweep Islands, is the most direct route for ships sailing from the Persian Gulf to East Asia. This channel is used by all traders traveling to and from Europe, the Middle East and Western Asia, Southeast Asia and the Far East. In wartime, India can block the channel and cut off enemy supply lines. The geographical conditions of the Lakshadweep Islands also increase India's security concerns, hence a surveillance system is being developed on it.
  • Lakshadweep is very close to Maldives. Maldives is emerging as an anti-India centre. Not only is it under the influence of China, extremist activities have also increased there. In recent years, along with the aid from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, religious fundamentalism is also being exported from these countries. The highest percentage of jihadi recruits to ISIS from South Asian countries have been from Maldives. Hundreds of islands of Maldives are uninhabited and there is a danger of extremist forces strengthening there, which is likely to have a direct impact on India's internal security.

Conclusion:

  • Lakshadweep's strategic location and its sensitivity to China and regional constraints underline the need to convert it into a dedicated defense island. But efforts to promote it as a tourist center may increase security challenges.
  • Lakshadweep can be upgraded to counter China's growing influence in neighboring countries like Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Myanmar.

Source: The Hindu

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Mains Question:

  • Examine the strategic significance of Lakshadweep in the light of the triangular dispute between India, Maldives and China.