Maritime vision, security imperatives top agenda at Mahasagar conference

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) The elevation of India's Sagar initiative to Mahasagar holds a bigger promise for the country’s blue economy and sustainability of the oceans, along with maintaining security in the waters, said experts here on Friday.

Speaking at a conference – The Mahasagar Initiative in the Current Security Context, Ambassador Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow, Foreign Studies Programme at Gateway House, said, “The foundation of Mahasagar initiative is the PM Narendra Modi’s Sagar initiative started in 2015.”

Sagar stood for Security and Growth for All in the Region and Mahasagar represents Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.

Ambassador Bhatia said the objective of the Mahasagar initiative is “to broaden scope of bilateral cooperation with the nations in the region and take the pattern to other regions, such as the Indian Ocean as a whole and beyond.”

Stressing on the importance of blue economy for India, he said, “The government has prepared a draft Blue Economy Policy. The idea is that several key sectors ranging from fishing and acqua-culture, port development and science and technology and green technology are deployed to realise the full potential of the blue economy.”

The conference, organised by Chintan Research Foundation, offered a platform to examine the maritime security threats and challenges and thereby identify India’s economic and strategic partnerships in Mahasagar.

It also brought together experts to dwell upon the strategic evolution of India’s maritime vision identified as Mahasagar and understand the current security challenges in the Indian subcontinent.

By integrating security imperatives with economic growth and environmental sustainability, Mahasagar positions India as a pivotal player in shaping the future of the Global South, said an expert.

Shishir Priyadarshi, an expert in international economic policy and development and president of Chintan Research Foundation, said, “The Indian Navy provides a very strong deterrent which is an extreme important aspect of ensuring peace.”

“It’s extremely important that while we continue on the path of economic growth, we do not lose our focus on sustainability and climate change,” he said, stressing on leaving a cleaner planet for the next generation.

On the strategic front, Priyadarshi said, “India needs to modify its Mahasagar initiative at frequent intervals to incorporate the concerns of the other countries.”

For countering pollution, he said, “Eighty per cent of the pollution of the seas comes from the land. So, the circular blue economy which caters to a sustainable livelihood, that would come out of the seas is extremely important,” he said, adding that this is an important part of Mahasagar.

In the coming times, Mahasagar is going to focus on sustainability and greening of all initiatives under it, he said.

Talking about potential benefits from Mahasagar, he said all this will help in what is India’s commitment in net-zero emission by 2070. “Overall, having a thrust on the blue economy, sustainability of the oceans and a thrust on green economy is essential,” he said.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Sagar initiative in 2015, its three key alphabets were: S, G, R – talking about security and growth in the entire Indian Ocean region.

--IANS

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