Exploring India’s Arctic potential

• The Arctic’s frozen frontier signals new trade routes and a potential source of geopolitical leverage.
• The Arctic reflects a critical energy source for the Global South.

India’s Role in the Arctic

• India has a long-term approach to exploring new mega ports and routes, making the Northern Sea Route (NSR) crucial.
• The number of Observers at the Arctic Council outnumbers the number of Arctic states, indicating the vulnerability of existing trade routes to geopolitical tensions.

India’s Engagement with the Arctic

• India has an Arctic research base and has signed the Svalbard Treaty in 1920.
• The Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development and the National Council of Applied Economic Research partnered to model how changes in the Arctic could influence India’s monsoon patterns and agricultural outputs.

India’s Arctic Policy and the Arctic Circle India Forum

• India needs to streamline its Arctic policy to achieve its goals.
• The 2025-26 Budget set up a $3 billion Maritime Development Fund for the Shipping Ministry and promoted shipbuilding clusters to increase the range, categories, and capacity of ships.

India’s Policy Concerns

• As international cargo shipment on the NSR increased from 41,000 tonnes in 2010 to almost 37.9 million tonnes in 2024, India needs to be aware of studies surfacing showing that global temperatures in 2024 breached the 1.5°C mark above pre-industrial levels.

Russia as a Potential Partner for India

• Russia, with its vast Arctic coastline and extensive experience in Arctic navigation, is an obvious partner for India to explore the NSR.
• However, if India inclines towards the Russian bloc, it could support Chinese efforts, such as the Polar Silk Road.
• The ideal solution would be to work with both the U.S. and Russia, along with Japan and South Korea.