21 Andaman and Nicobar Islands Renamed after Param Vir Chakra Awardees

The Government of India recently decided to rename 21 Andaman & Nicobar Islands with the names of 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees. Check complete List of 21 Andaman & Nicobar Islands for the UPSC exam.

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21 Andaman and Nicobar Islands Renamed

Recently, the Prime Minister of India announced the renaming of 21 Islands of Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands, on the occasion of Parakram Diwas i.e. the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. These islands have been named after Param Vir Chakra awardees.

The largest group of islands will be named after the first Param Vir Chakra awardee, the second largest after the second awardee and so on.

List of 21 Andaman and Nicobar Islands

We are providing a List of 21 Andaman and Nicobar Islands Renamed in the table given below:

S.No.	Param Vir Chakra Awardees	Andaman and Nicobar Islands Name
1.	Major Somnath Sharma	Somnath Island
2.	Subedar and Honorary Captain (then Lance Naik) Karam Singh	Karam Singh Island
3.	Lt. Rama Raghoba Rane	Rane Island
4.	Nayak Jadunath Singh	Jadunath Island
5.	Company Havaldar Major Piru Singh	Piru Island
6.	Capt GS Salaria	Salaria Island
7.	Lieutenant Colonel (then Major) Dhan Singh Thapa	Dhan Singh Island
8.	Subedar Joginder Singh	Joginder Island
9.	Major Shitan Singh	Shitan Singh Island
10.	CQMH. Abdul Hamid	Hamid Island
11.	Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore	Tarapore Island
12.	Lance Naik Albert Ekka	Ekka Island
13.	Major Hoshiar Singh	Hoshiar Island
14.	2nd Lt. Arun Khetrapal	Khetrapal Island
15.	Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon	Sekhon Island
16.	Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran	Ramaswamy Island
17.	Naib Subedar Bana Singh	Bana Island
18.	Captain Vikram Batra	Batra Island
19.	Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey	Pandey Island
20.	Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar	Sanjay Island
21.	Subedar Major Retd (Hony Captain) Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav	Yogendra Island

Param Vir Chakra Award

Param Vir Chakra is given for demonstrating exceptional bravery during wartime. It is a medal cast in bronze with a State Emblem embossed on it. It was established on 26th January 1950 and was first awarded retrospectively.

List of all 21 Param Vir Chakra Awardees

Here is a list of all 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees and their details:

Name of Param Vir Chakra Awardee	Details
Major Somnath Sharma	He was born in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh He was a member of the Kumaon regiment He was awarded for the supreme sacrifice made in the Battle of Badgaum (Novemeber, 1947). This battle was crucial to stop the Pakistani infiltrators from marching towards Srinagar
Subedar and Honorary Captain Karam Singh	He was born in Barnala, Punjab He belonged to the Sikh regiment He was awarded Param Vir Chakra for his bravery in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947 He also got the honour to raise the National Flag for the first time along with four other soldiers
Lt. Rama Raghoba Rane	He was born in a Marathi-speaking family in Karwar, Karnataka He played a crucial role in taking back control of Rajouri during Indo Pakistan War of 1947 for which he received the award He retired from the army as a Major
Nayak Jadunath Singh	He was born in Shahjahanpur in modern-day Uttar Pradesh He belonged to the Rajput regiment He was awarded for his role in the Battle of Taindhar (Indo-Pakistan War, 1947). Despite being outnumbered by enemies, he successfully defended the post
Company Havaldar Major Piru Singh	He was born in Churu, Rajasthan He was a member of the Rajputana Rifles He was martyred in J&K Operations, Indo-Pakistan War, 1948. Despite difficult terrain and grievous injuries, he showed exceptional bravery in capturing two crucial posts from the enemies
Capt GS Salaria	He was born in Gurdaspur, Punjab His regiment was the Gorkha Rifles He was awarded for his courage and valour in a UN operation, named Operation Congo, which took place in 1961 in the conflict in the eastern part of Congo. He was martyred in the operation
Lieutenant Colonel (then Major) Dhan Singh Thapa	He was born in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh He was a part of the Gurkha Rifles He was awarded for his bravery in Sino-India War, in 1962. Although he could not defend the post, he fought till last even with bare hands. He was finally captured by Chinese forces. He was later released from a POW camp.
Subedar Joginder Singh	He was born in Moga, Punjab He was a member of the Sikh Regiment. He was awarded for his role in pushing back Chinese forces from Bumla, Arunachal during Sino-India War, in 1962. He was captured by Chinese forces and later died in a POW camp, succumbing to injuries.
Major Shitan Singh	He was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He was a member of the Kumaon Regiment. He was martyred during Operation Leghorn (Sino-India War, 1962). He led from the front till his last breadth despite being severely wounded.
CQMH. Abdul Hamid	He was born in Gazipur, Uttar Pradesh. He belonged to the Grenadiers Regiment. He was martyred in Indo-Pakistan War, 1965 showing exceptional bravery. He is known to have destroyed six enemy tanks.
Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore	He was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra in a Parsi family. He belonged to the Armoured Corps Regiment. His exceptional leadership and courage during the Indo-Pakistan War, in 1965 led to the destruction of more than sixty enemy tanks with very few losses on the Indian side. He was martyred in the battle.
Lance Naik Albert Ekka	He was born in Ranchi, Jharkhand. He belonged to The Brigade of the Guards Regiment. His bravery and courage in the Indo-Pakistan War, of 1971 were unparalleled. Despite being injured, he fought till his last breath, achieving the target of his company. He played a crucial role in driving the enemy out of Gangasagar which made our march towards Dhaka inevitable.
Major Hoshiar Singh	He was born in Sonipat, Haryana. He belonged to the Grenadiers Regiment. He was awarded for bravery, leadership and devotion during Indo-Pakistan War, in 1971. He led from the front during Operation Cactus Lily. Despite being outnumbered by enemies, Indian soldiers led by him were able to secure the enemy stronghold. He was injured but did not evacuate till the final ceasefire.
2nd Lt. Arun Khetrapal	He was born in Pune, Maharashtra He belonged to the Armoured Corps regiment He showed unfaltering leadership during Indo-Pakistan War, in 1971. With his bravery, he destroyed many enemy tanks despite being surrounded by them.
Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon	He was born in Ludhiana, Punjab He served in the 18th Squadron of the Indian Air Force. Despite being unaware of the terrain, he fought bravely, repulsing many Pakistani aircraft in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. He was martyred in the war.
Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran	He was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra He belonged to the Mahar Regiment He is the only Indian soldier among those who served in IPKF Operation in Sri Lanka to have received Param Vir Chakra. He was martyred during the operation, but his bravery and leadership led to the successful accomplishment of the operation’s objective.
Naib Subedar Bana Singh	He was born in a Punjabi family in Jammu and Kashmir. He played a crucial role in the operation that was launched to drive out Pakistani infiltrators from Siachin in 1987. Braving extreme weather, he showed exceptional courage to secure many important points. One of the hilltops in Siachin is named in his honour.
Captain Vikram Batra	He was born in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh He belonged to the J&K Rifles regiment He showed leadership, courage and dedication during the Kargil War of 1999. He led the company which captured Tololing Top, which was strategically a very important point. He was martyred in the operation.
Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey	He was born in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh. He belonged to the Gurkha Rifles regiment. He was martyred in the Kargil war, in 1999 during Operation Vijay. He was leading his company towards Kalubhar when enemy forces led the assault. His soldiers responded, capturing many enemy bunkers.
Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar	He was born in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh. He belonged to the J&K Rifle regiment. He was awarded Param Vir Chakra for his daredevilry during Kargil War of 1999. His bravery helped Indian forces capture Area Flat Top during Operation Vijay
Subedar Major Retd (Hony Captain) Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav	He was born in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh He was a key member of the company that captured Tiger Hill during the Kargil War in 1999. He was hit by multiple bullets yet kept fighting

Andaman and Nicobar Islands History

The Andaman and Nicobar Group of Islands had a crucial role to play in our independence history. It was here that the national flag was unfurled for the first time, leading to the establishment of the first national government. These islands were made by the British government as a place of exile for freedom fighters. They established cellular jail here. Consequently, those sent here had to brave extreme conditions and hardships. However, hardships never deterred them from their path of fighting for their motherland, it even strengthened their resolve.

It was this historical significance and association of this group of islands with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose that prompted the government to Ross Island as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep in 2018. The other two islands namely Neil Island and Havelock island were renamed Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep respectively.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands Geographical Facts

It is an archipelago formed as a result of the subsidence of the Indian plate under the Eurasian plate.
Islands have dense evergreen, semi-evergreen forests with some unique species.
Island has an equatorial type of climate and the phenomenon of evening rains is quite perceptible.
The only active volcano in India, Barren Island is located here.
Indira Point is the southernmost point of India. It is located in this island group.
It is home to a number of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups which include Shompen, Jarawas, Sentinelese, Onges and Nicobarese.
Administratively, it is a Union Territory.

21 Andaman and Nicobar Islands Renamed UPSC

Andaman and Nicobar are a group of islands located in the Indian Ocean. They are strategically located and hold immense economic, socio-cultural and security importance. The government of India is working to develop them at a rapid pace. These islands have a deep connection to the Indian freedom struggle and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. In this context, recently, its 21 unnamed islands have been named after the Param Vir Chakra awardees.

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