Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech in the Parliament during the No Confidence debate on August 10, mentioned the island of Katchatheevu.
Key points
- Katchatheevu is a 285-acre uninhabited speck in the Palk Strait, between India and Sri Lanka.
- It is no more than 1.6 km in length and slightly over 300 m wide at its broadest point.
- It lies northeast of Rameswaram, about 33 km from the Indian coast. It is about 62 km southwest of Jaffna, at the northern tip of Sri Lanka, and 24 km away from the inhabited Delft Island, belonging to Sri Lanka.
- The only structure on the island is an early 20th century Catholic shrine – St Anthony’s church.
- Katchatheevu is not suited for permanent settlement as there is no source of drinking water on the island.
- The island is relatively new in the geological timescale, being the product of a 14-century volcanic eruption.
- As a part of this settlement, known as the ‘Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime agreement’, Indira Gandhi ‘ceded’ Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. At the time, she thought the island had little strategic value and that ceasing India’s claim over the island would deepen its ties with its southern neighbour.
