NEW DELHI: It’s a group of 572 islands that forms India’s eastern outpost. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands that stretch 450 nautical miles from north to south are of immense strategic importance to India. They make up 30 per cent of India’s exclusive economic zone and are positioned close to important sea lanes/trading routes for East Asia and Southeast Asia. The islands are also home to India’s only tri-services command. In this episode of ‘Simply Nitin’, StratNews Global Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale describes the strategic significance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and what steps India is taking to boost infrastructure there.