'To free nation from colonial imprints': Amit Shah announces renaming of Port Blair as Sri Vijaya Puram

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government on Friday renamed Port Blair, the capital of union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands as Sri Vijaya Puram, in what is described as part of efforts to free the nation from colonial imprints.

The announcement was made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah through a post on 'X'.

Following Shah’s announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the name Sri Vijaya Puram honours the rich history and heroic people of Andaman and Nicobar islands. It also reflects our commitment to break free from the colonial mindset and celebrate our heritage, he added.

"Inspired by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-ji, to free the nation from the colonial imprints, today we have decided to rename Port Blair as 'Sri Vijaya Puram'. While the earlier name had a colonial legacy, Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in our freedom struggle and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands' unique role in the same," he said.

He said the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have an unparalleled place in our freedom struggle and history. The island territory that once served as the naval base of the Chola Empire is today poised to be the critical base for our strategic and development aspirations, he added.

"It is also the place that hosted the first unfurling of our Tiranga (tricolour) by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose-ji and also the cellular jail in which Veer Savarkar-ji and other freedom fighters struggled for an independent nation," he added.

Being a union territory, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands come under the direct administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).