Importance of Indian Ocean for India UPSC

Source: This post on the Importance of Indian Ocean for India has been created based on the article “Ram Madhav writes: India, making waves in the Indian Ocean” published in “Indian Express” on 10^th February 2024.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 International Relations – India and its neighborhood.

News: The article discusses the historical importance of the Indian Ocean for India. It also highlights why focusing on the Indian Ocean is important for India in current times. Importance of Indian Ocean for India UPSC

What was The Reason for The Large Historical Contribution of India to Global Economy?

India had been the largest economy in the world in the first millennium with a share of almost 33% of the world’s GDP. According to the author, this was not due to its population size (as claimed by some experts), but because of the control of Indian rulers over the oceans at that time.

They had developed powerful merchant and military navies and established trade with the Arabs in the West and into South China Sea territories, crossing the Malayan Peninsula in the East.

What are The Historical References with Regard to The Importance of The Ocean?

1) Sea-Trading Communities and Kingdoms: Sea traders of south India like Manigramam Chettis and Nanadesis, and Kings like the Andhras, Pallavas and Cholas were prominent players.

2) Maritime Administration: Kautilya’s Arthashastra talks about the functions of officers like port commissioners and harbour masters.

3) Separate Shipping Department: The Board of Shipping was one of the six important departments of the Mauryan empire.

What Led to a Decline in India’s Dominance of The Seas?

According to the author, a lack of attention to the seas led to an eventual decline of India’s dominance of the seas.

1) British Era: The British didn’t develop a strong blue-water presence during their rule over India. The Royal Indian Navy was small for a country of India’s size.

2) Post-Independence Era: The lack of attention to the seas continued, with the governments giving greater priority to land-based warfare. India declined in areas like shipbuilding and naval vessels.
For instance, Indian Navy has less than 200 combat vessels (US has 400 and China has 500).

Why is Focusing on The Indian Ocean Important for India?

The Indian Ocean is the world’s 3rd-largest ocean. Its maritime trade routes manage almost 70% of the world’s container traffic.

Importance for India:

1. Trade Route: 80% of India’s external trade and 90% of the energy trade happens through it.
2. Prominence of the Indo-Pacific in Geopolitics: The global power axis has shifted away from the Pacific-Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific in India’s neighbourhood now.
3. Civilisational Importance: It carried India’s cultural and civilisational imprint across its shores and created a vast sphere of India’s civilisational influence.

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What Recent Steps have been Taken by The Government in This Regard?

7th Indian Ocean Conference: It seeks to address non-traditional challenges common to nations of the region, such as climate change, ocean levels, natural disasters and supply chain disruptions.

Question for practice:

“India had been a major player in the Indian Ocean, but its power gradually declined.” Why is focusing on the Indian Ocean important for India?