India releases Arctic policy, joins elite group of nations

New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday launched India’s titled “India and the Arctic: Building a Partnership for Sustainable Development in New Delhi.”

The Arctic policy lays down six pillars, strengthening India’s scientific research and cooperation, climate and environmental protection, economic and human development, transportation and connectivity, governance and international cooperation, and national capacity building in the Arctic region.

Underlining the importance of India’s Arctic policy, Jitendra Singh said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has proudly moved forward to join an elite group of countries working on various aspects of the Arctic.

Lauding the efforts of Indian scientists in studies of the Arctic, Singh said that India’s Arctic policy would play an essential role in preparing the country for a future where humankind’s biggest challenges, such as climate change, can be addressed through collective will and effort.

India’s Arctic policy shall be implemented through an action plan and an effective governance and review mechanism involving the interministerial Empowered Arctic Policy Group. Implementing India’s Arctic policy will involve multiple stakeholders, including academia, the research community, business, and industry, “he said.

The Minister noted that India’s engagement with the Arctic dates back to a century when the “Svalbard Treaty” was signed in February 1920 in Paris, and today India is undertaking several scientific studies and research in the Arctic region.

He said that Indian researchers are monitoring arctic glaciers for their mass balance and comparing them with glaciers in the Himalayan region.

India has also been actively involved in studies related to the Arctic oceanography, atmosphere, pollution, and microbiology.

Over twenty-five institutes and universities are currently involved in Arctic research in India. Since 2007, about a hundred peer-reviewed papers have been published on Arctic issues.

Thirteen (13) nations are observers in the Arctic Council, which include France, Germany, Italian Republic, Japan, The Netherlands, People’s Republic of China, Poland, India, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

In 2014 and 2016, India’s first multi-sensor moored observatory in Kongsfjorden and the northernmost atmospheric laboratory in Gruvebadet, Ny Alesund, were launched in the Arctic region. Until 2022, India has successfully conducted thirteen expeditions to the Arctic.

India has a significant stake in the Arctic. It is one of thirteen nations holding observer status in the Arctic Council, a high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous peoples of the Arctic.

India’s engagement with the Arctic region has been consistent and multidimensional. The country maintains that all human activity should be sustainable, responsible, transparent, and based on respect for international laws.