Port Blair, Feb.28 Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Congress President Sonia Gandhi announced a number of development programmes for Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Saturday including a plan to develop the place into a tourism hub.

Addressing a public meeting in Port Blair on Friday, Sonia Gandhi said: "Rajiv Gandhi had envisioned the islands as a big hub of the tourism industry."

Sonia on this occasion said that employment would also be generated for the local residents with the Centre promoting the tuna fish industry in the islands.

"It would be promoted under the Tuna Fishing Action Plan of the Government of India," Sonia Gandhi informed.

Sonia said that a medical college would also be set up while engineering classes could be taken up at the existing polytechnic institute here.

For the improvement of sea transport, new ships would be bought for plying on inter-island routes and between Chennai and Port Blair and Kolkata and Port Blair. onia said for farmers, who lost their land in the 2004 tsunami, the Rajiv Gandhi Rehabilitation Foundation would provide them land and cattle.

Stating that the islands were peaceful and a "mini India", she cautioned the people against disruptive forces.

Gandhi, on this occasion, also unveiled a statue of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and inaugurated the Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex. (ANI)