India and Norway to Strengthen Blue Economy Collaboration
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh held a high-level meeting with Norwegian Ambassador to India, Ms. May-Elin Stener, to review and enhance the Indo-Norway collaboration on the Blue Economy. The discussions centered around reinforcing the Joint Task Force (JTF) on Blue Economy, co-chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India.
Dr. Singh emphasized the importance of this collaboration, recalling the ‘India-Norway Integrated Ocean Management and Research Initiative.’ He highlighted India’s deep-sea mission, which involves sending three Indians to explore the ocean’s depths, unlocking new opportunities in mineral exploration and seabed mining. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership has enabled India’s journey in marine and ocean exploration,” Dr. Singh noted, underlining the significant strides made in this sector.
He also pointed to India’s achievements in polar research, such as the deployment of IndARC, India’s first sub-surface moored observatory in the Arctic, which lies halfway between Norway and the North Pole. This initiative marks a major milestone in India’s scientific endeavors.
Norwegian Ambassador Ms. May-Elin Stener praised the collaboration, noting, “Norway has technology, and India has scalability.” She proposed enhancing ties in science and technology, as well as ongoing marine and polar studies. The ambassador also recalled her Prime Minister’s remarks on India and Norway being neighbors in Antarctica concerning scientific research and establishing research facilities.
Dr. Singh highlighted the support his ministry has extended to the Indo-Norwegian Fellowship Program, which enabled three students to work on Arctic and Antarctic Glaciology. He also mentioned a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) and the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) at the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Kochi, aimed at fostering close collaboration in various polar science fields.
Additionally, Dr. Singh recalled the draft framework jointly developed by India and Norway for Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). Both countries are looking forward to the upcoming UN Conference on Oceans (UNOC-3) in Nice, France, in 2025, further strengthening their commitment to the blue economy and marine conservation.
