स्वास्थ्य और जीवन सुरक्षा हमारे ऑटो वाले भाइयों की वाजिब ज़रूरत है - ये मांग संसद तक पहुंचाऊंगा।

CBSE के Gen Z साथियों - आपकी मेहनत कोई चुरा नहीं पाएगा। हम इस भ्रष्टाचार को उखाड़ फेंकेंगे।

NEET छात्रों से मुलाक़ात में एक बात साफ़ हो गई - भारत का युवा नरेंद्र मोदी पर भरोसा नहीं करता

"Destroying the corals of Nicobar is like wiping out hundreds and hundreds of tigers in one stroke. It's the equivalent of destroying Project Tiger - and almost nobody is talking about it."

I recently travelled to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and saw firsthand what is at stake in Great Nicobar.

To better understand the implications of the Great Nicobar Project, I sat down with two people who have spent their lives studying these islands: Dr. Vardhan Patankar, a coral reef biologist who has been diving Nicobar's reefs since 2005, and Dr. Manish Chandi, a researcher who has worked across the Andaman & Nicobar Islands for over twenty-five years.

We spoke about one of the most biologically unique places on Earth, the Shompen and Nicobarese communities who have lived there for generations, the disappearing coral maps, and how the Forest Rights Act was bypassed in the process of pushing this project forward.

What they told me genuinely shocked me. I think every Indian needs to hear it.

In this episode, we discuss:

* Why tribal communities ran from the tsunami while others walked into receding ses
* A king cobra on the beach, and what makes these islands unlike anywhere else on Earth
* Giant leatherback turtles that cross oceans to nest at Galathea Bay
* The disappearing coral maps, and why fringing reefs were suddenly relabelled as "atolls"
* Why Nicobar's coral reefs are protected under the same law, at the same level, as tigers
* How the Forest Rights Act was bypassed - "it's like holding the Gram Sabha in Delhi"
* Twenty years after the FRA, not a single title has been granted to the Nicobarese communities

🎥 I've also released an exclusive ground report on the Great Nicobar Project. Watch it here:
https://youtu.be/dpYuGZx_ogo?si=ISE0UTq-rcWDpbd2

My guests:

Dr. Vardhan Patankar - Coral reef biologist; studying Nicobar's reefs since 2005.

Dr. Manish Chandi - Researcher; over 25 years of work across the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, including with the Shompen and Nicobarese communities.

If this conversation matters to you, please listen, share, and help spread the word. The more Indians who understand what is at stake, the harder it becomes to do this quietly.
#GreenOverGreed
#NicobarMatters
#WorldEnvironmentDay
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ⓒ Copyright and ownership of this audio-visual content belongs to Rahul Gandhi.

Attribution — You must give full credit for use of this audio-visual content in the format specified hereinafter: “Source: Rahul Gandhi's YouTube Channel, @rahulgandhi”. The channel’s address must be both on the video itself as well as on related Print, Digital, and Social Media copy accompanying references to the audio-visual content.

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Come explore the beautiful world of coral reefs in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
#GreenOverGreed

I stand for ecologically balanced development. Andaman & Nicobar can model sustainable tourism.
#GreenOverGreed
#NicobarMatters
#WorldEnvironmentDay

I visited the southernmost tip of India.

I stood at Indira Point. I walked under trees that have stood for centuries. I dove into coral reefs among the most vibrant on earth.

And I sat with the people who live there. Tribal communities, whose land is being taken away by violating the Forest Rights Act. Settlers, many of them former soldiers, placed on these islands by the Indian government, who aren’t getting fair compensation.

The Modi government and BJP tells you Great Nicobar Project is about defence. It is not.

Expand INS Baaz - we will back the government fully. The Navy has been asking for expansion for five years - it has been ignored.

They tell you it is about a transhipment port. It is not. India is already building one in Kerala, which is on the mainland.

What it actually is: 1.5 crore trees felled. Coral reefs erased from official maps. Soldiers and tribals displaced - so one businessman can build hotels and casinos on India’s most irreplaceable ecological land.

Every young Indian I have spoken to understands this. You know that no amount of profit is worth destroying what can never be recovered.

I stand for ecologically balanced development. These islands can be the most extraordinary sustainable destination the world has ever seen. That is the India worth fighting for.



#rahulgandhi, #राहुल_गांधी, #andamannicobarisland, #greatnicobarproject, #GreenOverGreed
#NicobarMatters
#WorldEnvironmentDay
_

Chapters:
00:00 - 01:53 | India's Treasure at Risk

01:54 - 02:35 | Why I Went to Andaman & Nicobar

02:36 - 03:45 | The Great Nicobar Project Explained

03:46 - 05:34 | India's Defence or Adani's Real Estate Project?

05:35 - 06:07 | Expand INS Baaz, Save the Rainforest

06:08 - 08:32 | Tribal Rights Violated, Settlers Displaced

08:33 - 09:51 | What the Tribal Communities Really Said

09:52 - 12:21 | The Mystery of the Disappearing Coral Reefs

12:22 - 14:24 | The Beauty of Andaman & Nicobar

14:25 - 15:56 | Green Over Greed: India's Choice

_

• Website: https://rahulgandhi.in/
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• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rahulgandhi

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ⓒ Copyright and ownership of this audio-visual content belongs to Rahul Gandhi.

Attribution — You must give full credit for use of this audio-visual content in the format specified hereinafter: “Source: Rahul Gandhi's YouTube Channel, @rahulgandhi”. The channel’s address must be both on the video itself as well as on related Print, Digital, and Social Media copy accompanying references to the audio-visual content.

Limited Duration — You may not use this audio-visual content in its entirety. Usage of only up to 2 minutes of this audio-visual content with the aforementioned attribution clearly visible for the entire duration is permitted.

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All other rights are reserved.

Use of the above content in a manner not specified above is a violation of the law.

"मेरी जिंदगी बर्बाद कर दी..." - एक 17 साल के युवा में ऐसी हताशा की ज़िम्मेदार भ्रष्ट मोदी सरकार है।

हम भारत के असली मालिक, अंडमान-निकोबार के मूल निवासियों का अधिकार नहीं छिनने देंगे।

Students deserve a bright & secure future. The govt must listen, acknowledge mistakes, and act.