The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India. It consists of 836 islands grouped into two island groups: the northern Andaman Islands and the southern Nicobar Islands, separated by a 150 km (93 mi) wide channel. Port Blair is the capital and largest city of the territory, located about 1,190 km (740 mi) from Chennai and 1,255 km (780 mi) from Kolkata in mainland India. The islands are sandwiched between the Bay of Bengal to the west and the Andaman Sea to the east with the northern-most point located 901 km (560 mi) from the mouth of Hooghly river. Indira Point at 6°45’10″N and 93°49’36″E at the southern tip of Great Nicobar is the southernmost point of India.
Events in the year 1950 in the Republic of India.
The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Supreme Wheel of Bravery", and the award is granted for "most conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy". As of January 2018, the medal has been awarded 21 times, of which 14 were posthumous and 16 arose from actions in Indo-Pakistani conflicts. Of the 21 awardees, 20 have been from the Indian Army and one has been from the Indian Air Force. Major Somnath Sharma was the first recipient. A number of state governments of India as well as ministries of the central government provide allowances and rewards to recipients of the PVC.
The Cellular Jail, also known as 'Kālā Pānī', was a British colonial prison in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The prison was used by the colonial government of India for the purpose of exiling criminals and political prisoners. Many notable independence activists, including Sardar Singh Artillery, Diwan Singh Kalepani, Yogendra Shukla, Batukeshwar Dutt, Shadan Chandra Chatterjee, Sohan Singh, Vinayak Savarkar, Hare Krishna Konar, Shiv Verma, Allama Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, and Sudhanshu Dasgupta were imprisoned here during the struggle for India's independence. Today, the complex serves as a national memorial monument.
Raj Niwas is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is located in the capital city of Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The present lieutenant governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi (Retd.), PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM (Retd.)
Romesh Bhandari was an Indian diplomat and administrator. During his career, Bhandari served in various positions, including as the Indian Foreign Secretary, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Governor of Tripura, Goa and Uttar Pradesh.
Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VSM, NM is the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Vice Chairman of Islands Development Agency (IDA). He was an Admiral in the Indian Navy and served as the 21st Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, having assumed office on 31 August 2012. He is a specialist in anti-submarine warfare. He resigned on 26 February 2014, taking responsibility for a series of accidents, thus becoming the first Indian Navy Chief to resign.
Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar Singh, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM is the former Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He is an alumnus of Sainik School Rewa and National Defence Academy. He is former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Command of Indian Army.
Mohit Mohan Moitra was an Indian revolutionary and Indian independence movement fighter in the 1930s.
John Richardson was an Indian Anglican bishop and politician.
Tirath Singh Oberoi was Lieutenant general in Indian Army who later on served as the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar. He was commissioned in the army in 1946 after graduating from the Defence Services Staff College, Tamil Nadu. He served in during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 as Captain in Punjab Regiment and was presented with Vir Chakra for his services during the Republic Day ceremony of 1950. He was promoted as Lieutenant Colonel in 1964.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is an archipelago of 572 islands of which 37 are inhabited. It is a union territory of India.
Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) is the head of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the first and only Tri-service theater command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory of India.
