Published 18:10 IST, March 3rd 2021
India, Norway to jointly conduct marine spatial planning in Lakshadweep and Puducherry
The Union Ministry of Earth Science said that India and Norway have agreed to jointly work in the area of marine spatial planning in the oceanic space.
The Union Ministry of Earth Science on March 3 said that India and Norway have agreed to jointly work in the area of marine spatial planning in the oceanic space for the next five years. According to a press release by the ministry, the first project steering committee meeting with representatives from both nations was “successfully conducted”. The ministry added that the two countries have chartered out a plan to ensure that human activities at sea take place in an efficient, safe and sustainable manner in areas such as energy, transportation, fisheries, aquaculture and tourism.
The recent agreement between the two nations is a part of the Indo-Norway Integrated Ocean Initiative under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries in 2019. The Indian ministry informed that Lakshadweep and Puducherry have been identified as pilot sites for the project.
Further, the officials also added that the two countries have decided to extend support for sustainable ocean resources utilisation to advance economic and social development in coastal areas. According to the press note, the initiative known as Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) will be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) for India.
India to invest Rs 8-10 crores per annum
The ministry said, “In its primary phase, NCCR will develop a marine spatial planning framework for Puducherry and Lakshadweep. These sites have been chosen for the pilot project in view of their setups with unique opportunities for multiple sectors (such as industries, fisheries, and tourism) to flourish. The Government of India's initial investments for undertaking the studies and planning are estimated to be around Rs 8-10 crores per annum”.
The officials added, “In the future, marine spatial planning framework of these two environmentally critical areas can be replicated to other coastal regions of the country. Notably, the World Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have expressed interest in supporting MoES in conducting MSP, a societal-beneficial initiative for India's coastal regions”.
It is worth noting that previously, the NCCR had developed coastal management plans for Chennai, Goa and Gulf of Kachchh, which proved successful. Now, the MSP initiative will aid the development of multiple economic sectors and stakeholders in a greater number of coastal areas of the country. The Indian Government’s vision of New India by 2030 highlights the blue economy as one of the 10 crore dimensions of growth.
(With inputs from ANI)
Updated 18:10 IST, March 3rd 2021