The Blue Economy, with its untapped seabed minerals and renewable ocean energy, could prove that light at the end of the tunnel for Covid-19 afflicted India. The nation’s strategic location in the IOR and its potentials as a maritime power is a blessing for both the security of the region and the Indian economy. India’s Role as a Maritime power is crucial as 90 per cent of trade by volume and over 74 per cent by value takes place via sea routes. More than 80 per cent of India’s energy supplies also arrive along these sea lanes. For many years, we argued that our development planning must be premised on our being a maritime economy. Still, our plans, investment and defence program have remained dominantly focused on our land-based resources. The Indian peninsula is ensconced by seas & oceans. The country’s location in the Indian Ocean, jutting out 1000 miles into it as it does, is of strategic advantage. The peninsula straddles some of the most critical sea lines of communication. A great deal of global trade travels along these routes. India’s two island territories, the Andaman and Nicobar islands, are of great strategic importance too. India has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of over 2.3 million square kms and has deep seabed mining rights in the southern Indian Ocean region. An active presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is necessary for India to be able to protect its vast 7,500 kilometre coastline. Simultaneously, the country needs to ensure open sea lines of communication. If India has to thrive and recover its growth momentum in the post Covid-19 world of ultra geo-economic activities, the country must trade with the world. Maritime Power and the Blue Economy could be a way out of the abyss the pandemic induced slowdown has hurled India into. On Navy Day in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of the Navy of the Chola kingdom of ancient India as one of the strongest navies of its era, accounting for the economic supremacy of the regime. India aspires to be a maritime power once again. The Indian Ocean Region is vital for India. As the legendary Admiral Alfred T. Mahan, had summed up succinctly, Whoever attains maritime supremacy in the Indian Ocean, would be a prominent player on the international scene. However, India cannot call itself a maritime power, laments Commodore Anil Jai Singh, Vice President, Indian Maritime Foundation. While the Indian Navy is the most powerful navy in the Indian Ocean and is amongst the top five navies in the world, the other elements of maritime power are lagging. India’s share of global shipbuilding is less than one per cent. And its 13 major and almost 200 non-major ports are not globally competitive and in need of modernisation, says he. India’s marine-based economy is way behind in terms of standard global practices and needs focus. As Commodore Jai Singh points out, Its 200 million strong coastal community, which depends on the sea for a livelihood continues with archaic practices of fishing etc. The potential of the island territories remain untapped. Seabed exploration for mineral and other resources has barely begun. These pertinent issues about the country’s maritime power and Blue Economy need top priority now. An infinite swathe of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is India’s responsibility and maritime power and a Blue Economy can be a possibility with the right allies and through strategic international outreach. Beyond the IOR, $3 trillion worth of trade passes through the South China Sea, over which China attempts to keep a hold. The concept of the Blue Economy’ is spreading fast through the globe and aims at transforming the world’s economy, habits and the planet itself during the 21st century. A Blue Economy is about oceans, seas and the resources they hold. India’s Blue Economy In the Indian context, a Blue Economy would be the sum total of economic activities involving marine resources. Fisheries, deep sea mining and offshore oil and gas make up a large part of India’s Blue Economy. It is necessary for India to tap into the enormous potential of the ocean-based resources, which could propel the nation into a higher growth trajectory. The development of the Blue Economy can serve as a growth catalyst in realising the vision to become a $10 trillion economy by 2032. Most of the country’s oil and gas is imported through sea routes, a dependence that is expected to rise exponentially by the year 2025. Of the 2.3 million square kilometres available to India in the EEZ, 1.5 million has been explored across both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. India has filed a claim in 2009 to raise its approved claim of 200 nautical miles to 250 nautical miles the maximum permissible limit. In 2010 the Indian government released a 10-year maritime agenda (2010-2020) with ambitious plans to develop the maritime sector. Thereafter, the present government in its first term initiated Sagarmala, a multi-crore programme aimed at revitalising India’s ports and maritime infrastructure, including inland marine transportation and coastal shipping. The Sagarmala Programme has identified over 600 projects, entailing an investment of around Rs 8 lakh crore ($120 billion) by 2020. This will save the country nearly $6 billion per annum in logistics costs, besides creating 10 million new jobs and boosting port capacity by 800 million metric tonne per annum (MMTPA) to an overall 3,500 MMTP. Yet, halfway through 2020, there is no mention of the 10-year maritime agenda. The ambitious Sagarmala programme is also not progressing at an ideal pace. As Commodore Anil Jai Singh points out, One of the problems in India is the multitude of departments and ministries linked with the maritime sector with no central empowered authority to synergise or even coordinate their activities. This has been highlighted many times in the context of maritime security, but has found little resonance with the government. This special focus area was recognised at the 14th Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Ministerial Meeting in Perth, Australia, on 9 October 2014. As an economic model the Blue Economy comprises: – Fisheries and Aquaculture – Renewable Ocean Energy – Seaports and Shipping – Offshore Hydrocarbons and Seabed Minerals – Marine Biotechnology, Research and Development – Tourism…