India’s “blue economy” refers to all economic activities linked to oceans, seas, coasts and inland waterways, pursued in ways that are environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive and climate-resilient. It covers traditional sectors such as fisheries, ports and shipping, coastal tourism and offshore oil and gas, as well as emerging areas like offshore wind, marine biotechnology, seabed minerals, ocean-based climate services and marine ICT.
The Government of India’s draft Blue Economy policy, led by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), defines the blue economy as a subset of the overall economy that “comprises all economic activities related to oceans, seas and coasts” and aims to balance growth, environmental health and social equity. The draft policy identifies the ocean as a development space that can help India achieve its broader economic and environmental goals, rather than as a narrow sector.
In India this concept is also tightly linked to foreign and security policy. The SAGAR vision—“Security and Growth for All in the Region”—announced in 2015 as India’s maritime doctrine in the Indian Ocean region, explicitly links economic development of ocean spaces with regional security, cooperation and environmental stewardship. Over the last decade, official documents and expert reports have moved from seeing oceans primarily as trade routes to seeing them as complex socio-ecological systems whose health underpins long-term prosperity.
In practical terms, when Indian policymakers talk of the blue economy today, they are thinking simultaneously about: reducing logistics costs via coastal shipping, improving fishers’ incomes, expanding offshore renewables, protecting mangroves and coral reefs, and safeguarding India’s maritime interests in the wider Indo-Pacific. That multi-dimensional framing is what makes the blue economy both promising and challenging.
How big is India’s blue economy in terms of GDP, trade and jobs?
Estimating the size of the blue economy is tricky because many ocean-linked activities are embedded in broader sectors (for example, coastal tourism within tourism, marine ICT within the digital economy). Even so, there is a growing consensus among official and research sources on its current magnitude.
India’s draft Blue Economy policy framework estimates that ocean-based activities conservatively contribute about 4% of national GDP, and notes that the actual share is likely to be higher once better accounting methods are used. INCOIS Recent syntheses by think tanks and researchers in 2024–25 broadly echo this figure, placing the blue economy’s share around 4% of GDP, with significant upside if sectors like shipping, fisheries, coastal tourism and off-shore renewables expand sustainably.
On the trade side, India’s maritime sector is absolutely dominant. Around 95% of India’s merchandise trade by volume and roughly 65–70% by value is carried by sea, through a network of 12 major ports (soon 13 with Vadhavan) and more than 200 non-major ports. Port-led development under the Sagarmala Programme has substantially increased port efficiency, cut turnaround times and boosted coastal shipping over the last decade.
In employment terms, the fisheries and aquaculture sector alone supports around 2.8 crore (28 million) people in India across harvesting, processing and allied activities. India is now the world’s third-largest fish producer, contributing around 8% of global fish production and ranking among the top exporters of frozen shrimp. Coastal ports, shipbuilding and associated logistics are also major job creators: recent estimates suggest that port and shipbuilding sector expansion could generate up to 20 lakh jobs by 2047.
Finally, the sheer physical scale of India’s maritime space underscores the economic potential. Depending on the methodology used, India’s coastline is now calculated at between about 7,516 km (traditional estimate) and 11,098 km (recent geospatial reassessment), with an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of around 2.02–2.4 million km². That combination of coastline, EEZ and strategic location on key shipping routes is the foundation of India’s blue economy story.
Which sectors make up India’s blue economy, and where is the growth potential?
India’s blue economy spans a wide spectrum of sectors, each at a different level of maturity. The key pillars are:
Fisheries and aquaculture. India has seen rapid growth in fish production—from 96 lakh tonnes in 2013–14 to around 195 lakh tonnes in 2024–25, a 104% increase. The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), with a planned investment of ₹20,050 crore, explicitly aims to drive a “blue revolution” through sustainable, technology-enabled fisheries and aquaculture. There is significant scope in mariculture, seaweed farming and value-added processing, provided ecological limits are respected.
Ports, shipping and logistics. The Sagarmala Programme promotes port-led development, coastal shipping, inland waterways and industrial clusters, with nearly 800 projects identified up to 2035. Coastal shipping has grown by 118% over a decade, and inland waterway cargo by 700%, illustrating the logistics potential of coastal and riverine transport.
Coastal and marine tourism. Lighthouse tourism, cruise tourism and island tourism (especially in Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar) are emerging domains. Sagarmala’s coastal community development component explicitly lists maritime tourism and lighthouse-based tourism as focus areas.
Offshore energy. This includes offshore oil and gas (already important in the Bombay High and KG basins) and rapidly emerging offshore wind and ocean energy (wave, tidal, OTEC). India is exploring large-scale offshore wind potential along the Gujarat and Tamil Nadu coasts, though this is at an early stage.
Marine biotechnology and bioresources. Marine organisms offer promising pathways for pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, enzymes and bio-based materials. The draft blue economy framework and recent expert literature highlight marine biotechnology as a high-potential but underdeveloped frontier.
Deep-sea minerals and ocean knowledge. Through the Deep Ocean Mission, India is investing in technology for deep-sea exploration, submersibles and seabed mapping, with a focus on polymetallic nodules and strategic minerals needed for energy transition technologies.
Overlaying all these are cross-cutting enablers such as marine ICT, satellite-based ocean observation, coastal infrastructure, finance, insurance and skills development. The growth potential, if managed well, lies not just in scaling sectors individually but in designing integrated coastal and marine value chains that are decarbonised and socially inclusive.
What is India’s policy and institutional framework for the blue economy?
India’s blue economy is governed by a patchwork of sectoral laws and policies—fisheries, ports, shipping, environment, coastal regulation, offshore energy—now being brought under a more integrated blue economy vision.
At the centre is “India’s Blue Economy: A Draft Policy Framework”, led by MoES and supported by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). The draft is organised around seven thematic areas: (1) marine fisheries, aquaculture and fish processing; (2) coastal and deep-sea mining, and offshore energy; (3) ports, shipping and logistics; (4) coastal and marine tourism; (5) marine ICT and biotechnology; (6) disaster risk management and climate resilience; and (7) maritime governance. It calls for better national accounting of ocean-based activities, integrated planning among ministries, and strong environmental safeguards.
Alongside this, India’s maritime strategic doctrine SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) provides the geopolitical and security umbrella for ocean-related initiatives, anchoring India’s Indian Ocean and wider Indo-Pacific engagements. Recent official speeches extend this into a broader “MAHASAGAR” framing that emphasises connectivity, blue economy partnerships and a rules-based maritime order.
Sector-specific frameworks also matter:
Sagarmala Programme for port-led development and coastal community development.
Maritime India Vision 2030 / 2047, outlining long-term targets for port capacity, shipbuilding and logistics (often referenced in shipping ministry documents and speeches).
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture development.
Deep Ocean Mission under MoES for deep-sea exploration and ocean science.
Coastal regulation frameworks and climate adaptation initiatives (e.g., MoEFCC’s work on coastal vulnerability and ICZM projects).
Institutionally, multiple ministries share responsibility: Earth Sciences, Ports/Shipping/Waterways, Fisheries, Environment, Power/Renewables, External Affairs, Defence and others. A key challenge, repeatedly identified in policy analyses, is to move from fragmented sectoral governance toward a genuinely integrated ocean governance architecture with clear coordination, data sharing and conflict resolution mechanisms.
How do flagship programmes like Sagarmala, PMMSY and Deep Ocean Mission support the blue economy?
Several flagship programmes collectively operationalise India’s blue economy ambitions, each tackling a different part of the ocean value chain.
Sagarmala Programme (Ports, Shipping and Coastal Development): Launched in 2015, Sagarmala is the flagship programme for port-led development. It aims to modernise ports, enhance port connectivity, promote port-led industrialisation, and encourage coastal shipping and inland waterways to reduce logistics costs. Over a decade, Sagarmala has delivered:
· 118% growth in coastal shipping,
· a ~700% increase in inland waterway cargo,
· faster ports (turnaround times cut from ~96 hours to ~35 hours at major ports), and
· 9 Indian ports in the world’s top 100, with Vizag among the top 20.
Under its Coastal Community Development theme, Sagarmala also supports marine tourism, fisheries infrastructure, skilling and livelihood diversification, acknowledging that around 18% of India’s population lives in 72 coastal districts.
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY): PMMSY is India’s flagship scheme for a sustainable “blue revolution” in fisheries, with a total planned investment of ₹20,050 crore. It supports activities across the value chain: fishing harbours, cold chains, fish farmer producer organisations, mariculture, ornamental fisheries, seaweed cultivation, insurance and digital services. As of mid-2025, fisheries development projects worth over ₹21,000 crore had been approved, and fish production had doubled in a decade.
Deep Ocean Mission (DOM): DOM is India’s multi-institutional mission to explore deep oceans for resources and knowledge. With an outlay of about ₹4,077 crore over 2021–26, it focuses on: developing a 6,000-m capable submersible (Matsya 6000), exploring polymetallic nodules, setting up offshore observation systems, mapping the seabed, and building capacity in marine biodiversity and climate services. DOM is framed as a counterpart to India’s space missions, but with a stronger emphasis on sustainable use and climate-relevant ocean science.
Together, these programmes—along with coastal climate adaptation, renewable energy and marine conservation efforts—constitute the operational face of India’s blue economy. The key question is how effectively they are aligned, monitored and governed to ensure that growth does not outpace ecological and social safeguards.
What does the blue economy mean for coastal communities, especially small fishers and women?
For India’s coastal and island communities, the blue economy is not an abstract concept but a set of very concrete opportunities and risks. Approximately 18% of India’s population lives in coastal districts, many of whom depend directly or indirectly on fisheries, ports, tourism and related services.
On the opportunity side, a well-designed blue economy could:
Increase and stabilise incomes for small-scale fishers through better infrastructure, cold chains, value addition, fairer market access and insurance under schemes like PMMSY.
Diversify livelihoods into areas such as mariculture, seaweed farming, eco-tourism, boat repair, logistics, hospitality and marine crafts, reducing vulnerability to climate shocks and resource depletion.
Create new roles for women, especially in processing, quality control, retail, digital platforms and tourism services, building on their existing roles in post-harvest fisheries and coastal enterprises.
Bring better infrastructure and services (ports, roads, digital connectivity) to historically under-served coastal regions, if designed with equity in mind.
However, many coastal communities also see the dangers: displacement due to port expansion and industrialisation; decline in nearshore fish stocks due to overfishing and pollution; restricted access to traditional fishing grounds; and loss of customary rights. Research and community reports from across India’s coasts have documented these tensions, especially where large-scale infrastructure has not adequately consulted local stakeholders or compensated them.
For women, the blue economy can either entrench informality and unpaid labour, or become a vehicle for economic empowerment and leadership in cooperatives, self-help groups and local institutions. Gender-responsive design of schemes like PMMSY, and coastal adaptation projects, is therefore critical for ensuring that women participate not just as cheap labour but as decision-makers and entrepreneurs.
Put simply, the blue economy’s social licence will depend on whether coastal people experience it as a pathway to dignity, secure livelihoods and voice—or as a new wave of ocean grabbing.
What are the main environmental and social risks associated with India’s blue economy expansion?
For India’s coastal and island communities, the blue economy is not an abstract concept but a set of very concrete opportunities and risks. Approximately 18% of India’s population lives in coastal districts, many of whom depend directly or indirectly on fisheries, ports, tourism and related services.
On the opportunity side, a well-designed blue economy could:
Increase and stabilise incomes for small-scale fishers through better infrastructure, cold chains, value addition, fairer market access and insurance under schemes like PMMSY.
Diversify livelihoods into areas such as mariculture, seaweed farming, eco-tourism, boat repair, logistics, hospitality and marine crafts, reducing vulnerability to climate shocks and resource depletion.
Create new roles for women, especially in processing, quality control, retail, digital platforms and tourism services, building on their existing roles in post-harvest fisheries and coastal enterprises.
Bring better infrastructure and services (ports, roads, digital connectivity) to historically under-served coastal regions, if designed with equity in mind.
However, many coastal communities also see the dangers: displacement due to port expansion and industrialisation; decline in nearshore fish stocks due to overfishing and pollution; restricted access to traditional fishing grounds; and loss of customary rights. Research and community reports from across India’s coasts have documented these tensions, especially where large-scale infrastructure has not adequately consulted local stakeholders or compensated them.
For women, the blue economy can either entrench informality and unpaid labour, or become a vehicle for economic empowerment and leadership in cooperatives, self-help groups and local institutions. Gender-responsive design of schemes like PMMSY, and coastal adaptation projects, is therefore critical for ensuring that women participate not just as cheap labour but as decision-makers and entrepreneurs.
Put simply, the blue economy’s social licence will depend on whether coastal people experience it as a pathway to dignity, secure livelihoods and voice—or as a new wave of ocean grabbing.
How is climate change affecting India’s coasts and seas, and what does that mean for the blue economy?
Climate change is reshaping the physical and ecological conditions of India’s coasts and seas, with direct implications for all blue economy sectors. Studies synthesised by MoEFCC and other agencies highlight several key trends: rising sea levels, increasing sea surface temperatures, changing monsoon and cyclone behaviour, ocean acidification and more frequent extreme events.
Sea-level rise and coastal erosion. India’s low-lying deltas (Sundarbans, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery), estuaries and sandy coasts are highly vulnerable to sea-level rise, subsidence and erosion. Ports, coastal highways, SEZs, tourism infrastructure and fishing villages face growing risk of inundation and storm surges.
Warming seas and changing fisheries. Rising sea surface temperatures and changes in upwelling and currents are altering the distribution, productivity and spawning grounds of major fish species. This affects the location of productive fishing grounds, often forcing fishers to travel farther, spend more on fuel, and face higher safety risks.
Ocean acidification and ecosystem health. Increased CO₂ absorption by oceans is lowering pH, particularly affecting calcifying organisms such as corals, molluscs and certain plankton. While India’s monitoring of ocean acidification is still limited, regional studies suggest significant implications for coral reefs (e.g., Gulf of Mannar, Lakshadweep), shellfish and overall food webs.
Cyclones and extreme events. The Arabian Sea is seeing more intense cyclones, while the Bay of Bengal remains cyclone-prone. Ports, offshore platforms, coastal cities and small-scale fishers face increased hazard exposure, highlighting the need for climate-resilient infrastructure and robust early warning systems.
For the blue economy, this means that climate resilience is not a side-issue but central to long-term viability. Port design, coastal zoning, fishery management, tourism planning and marine conservation all need to internalise climate projections. At the same time, coastal blue-carbon ecosystems (mangroves, seagrasses, salt marshes) can be powerful allies, offering shoreline protection and carbon sequestration if conserved and restored.
What is the Deep Ocean Mission, and why is it controversial?
The Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) is India’s flagship programme for deep-sea exploration and technology development, often described as the oceanic counterpart to its space missions. Approved with an outlay of about ₹4,077 crore for 2021–26, DOM has multiple components:
Developing a manned submersible (Matsya 6000) capable of reaching 6,000 m depth.
Surveying and exploring polymetallic nodules and other mineral resources in the Central Indian Ocean Basin, where India holds exploration rights granted by the International Seabed Authority.
Strengthening ocean observation systems, marine biodiversity studies and climate-related ocean services.
Establishing marine biology stations and advanced capacity in ocean science and engineering.
Supporters argue that DOM is crucial for: securing access to strategic minerals (manganese, nickel, cobalt, copper) needed for batteries and clean energy; improving climate and monsoon prediction through better ocean data; developing indigenous deep-sea technology; and enhancing India’s status as a major maritime science power.
Critics, however, highlight several concerns:
Ecological uncertainty. Deep-sea ecosystems are poorly understood and may be extremely slow to recover from disturbance. Sediment plumes, noise and habitat destruction from mining could have far-reaching impacts.
Governance gaps. Global rules on deep-sea mining under the International Seabed Authority are still evolving, and there is an active debate on whether a moratorium is needed until environmental safeguards are robust. India’s domestic debate on this remains relatively nascent.
Equity and benefit sharing. There are questions about who would benefit economically from deep-sea mining and how those benefits would be shared with coastal and wider communities, compared to the environmental risks borne by the global commons.In practice, India’s Deep Ocean Mission currently emphasises exploration, technology development and scientific understanding rather than immediate commercial mining. The challenge will be ensuring that any future move toward exploitation aligns with the precautionary principle and strong environmental impact assessments, and that public debate keeps pace with technological advances.
How does India’s blue economy connect with geopolitics and the Indo-Pacific?
For India, the blue economy is inseparable from maritime strategy and geopolitics. The Indian Ocean is both a trade artery—carrying oil, gas and goods between the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe—and a geopolitical theatre where multiple powers are vying for influence.
The SAGAR doctrine (“Security and Growth for All in the Region”), articulated in 2015, signals India’s commitment to act as a “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean region, promoting maritime domain awareness, capacity building, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and adherence to international maritime law. Over the last decade, SAGAR has been woven into India’s broader Indo-Pacific vision, which emphasises a free, open and inclusive order and enhanced connectivity.
The blue economy sits within this framework in several ways:
Connectivity and infrastructure. Port development, shipping lanes, coastal industrial corridors and undersea cables are simultaneously economic and strategic assets. Initiatives like Sagarmala and port partnerships with Indian Ocean littoral states help position India as a hub in regional supply chains.
Resource access and security. Fisheries, offshore energy and seabed minerals are sources of both cooperation and tension. India’s blue economy strategy necessarily interacts with those of other Indian Ocean states and extra-regional powers, requiring diplomacy, regional agreements and confidence-building.
Environmental diplomacy. Issues like marine pollution, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, ocean acidification and coastal climate impacts demand regional solutions. India’s engagement with regional organisations and initiatives increasingly emphasises sustainable blue economy cooperation.
Technology and standards. As India invests in deep ocean technology, satellite-based ocean surveillance, and green shipping, it participates in shaping emerging standards for blue economy financing, marine spatial planning and climate-resilient infrastructure. In short, the blue economy is both an economic growth frontier and a key arena where India’s Indo-Pacific strategy, maritime partnerships and environmental diplomacy play out.
What would a truly sustainable and inclusive blue economy look like for India?
A genuinely sustainable blue economy would go beyond simply “greening” individual sectors to rethinking how India plans, governs and values its oceans and coasts. Policy analyses, including those by Indian think tanks and the EAC-PM, highlight several principles:
Ecosystem-based management. Management decisions should be based on the health of entire marine ecosystems, not just single species or projects. This implies robust marine protected areas, spatial planning that separates incompatible uses, and strict limits on destructive activities in sensitive zones.
Climate resilience and blue carbon. Coastal and marine infrastructure must be designed for future climate conditions, not historical averages. Mangroves, seagrass beds, saltmarshes and dunes should be treated as critical infrastructure for shoreline protection and carbon sequestration, backed by restoration programmes and community stewardship.
Rights and justice for coastal communities. Legal recognition of customary fishing rights, participatory planning, fair compensation for displacement, social protection for small-scale fishers and workers, and strong gender equality measures are essential. The blue economy must reduce, not deepen, historical marginalisation of artisanal fishers, Adivasi and Dalit coastal communities, and women.
Strong regulation and transparency. Environmental impact assessments, cumulative impact studies, public hearings and independent monitoring need to be strengthened for port, industrial and offshore projects. Data on fish stocks, pollution and coastal erosion should be publicly accessible to allow scrutiny and participation.
Green and digital transitions in shipping and ports. India’s goal of expanding port capacity to 10,000 MMT by 2047 must be aligned with decarbonisation, through cleaner fuels, energy-efficient operations, shore power, modal shifts to coastal shipping and rail, and circular economy approaches to shipbreaking and port waste.
Balanced innovation. Emerging areas like offshore wind, marine biotech and deep-sea exploration should be developed with precaution, piloting and strong safeguards, avoiding technological lock-in that might later prove ecologically or socially costly.
A sustainable blue economy is therefore as much about governance and social contracts as it is about technology or finance.
As a student, researcher or practitioner, where can I learn more and engage with India’s blue economy agenda?
If you want to dig deeper or engage professionally with India’s blue economy, there are several good entry points:
Official policy documents and missions
The Ministry of Earth Sciences draft policy: India’s Blue Economy Policy Framework (PDF). Ministry of Earth Science
EAC-PM’s background report “India’s Blue Economy: A Draft Policy Framework” and related working group reports on fisheries, ports and tourism.
Sagarmala Programme and its coastal community development component.
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for fisheries schemes and guidelines.
Deep Ocean Mission information notes from MoES and PIB.
Research and explainer articles
Detailed analytical papers, such as “Blue Economy in India: Unlocking Maritime Potential for Sustainable and Inclusive Development” in academic journals. RSIS International
Journalism and explainers, for example Mongabay India’s explainer “What is blue economy?”, which situate policy discussions in real coastal contexts.
Climate and coastal vulnerability sources
MoEFCC’s publication “Climate Change and the Vulnerable Indian Coast” synthesises climate risks, case studies and adaptation options along India’s coasts.
Engagement and careers.
Students can look at interdisciplinary programmes in marine sciences, ocean engineering, coastal planning, environmental economics and maritime law at institutions such as NIOT, INCOIS, CMLRE, IITs and central universities.
Civil society organisations work on coastal rights, marine conservation, plastic pollution and port governance; collaborating on field projects or citizen science can give grounded perspectives on how blue economy projects play out on the ground.
For practitioners in government or industry, engaging with emerging tools—marine spatial planning, strategic environmental assessment, blue carbon accounting and just transition frameworks—will be central to shaping a fair and resilient blue economy.
In the coming decade, India’s blue economy will be shaped by decisions on port expansion, fisheries reform, deep-sea mining, offshore renewables and coastal climate adaptation. Following these debates through policy papers, parliamentary discussions, regional dialogues and coastal movements will be crucial for anyone who wants to contribute to a blue economy that is not only bigger, but also fairer and ecologically safer.