Government of India Released Draft Arctic Policy
- In it, commitment has been expressed for the expansion of scientific research, sustainable tourism and exploration of mineral oil and gas in the Arctic region.
- This policy includes understanding the impact of climate change in the Arctic region and its relationship with India’s monsoon.
The policy states the need to identify opportunities for responsible exploration and mining of natural resources and minerals, investment in ports, railways and airports in the Arctic region.
This policy is based on five pillars:
- Science and research activities
- Economic and Human Development Cooperation
- Transport and Connectivity
- Governance and International Cooperation
- National capacity building
- The National Center for Polar and Ocean Research, based in Goa, will lead scientific research and act as a nodal agency.
- It will coordinate between various agencies to include Arctic imperatives in the curriculum of the disciplines of Earth Sciences, Biological Sciences and Climate Change in Indian Universities with a view to promoting domestic scientific research capabilities.
- Arctic research will help India’s scientific community to study the rate of melting of the third pole – the Himalayan glaciers, the largest source of fresh water beyond geographic poles.
Arctic Region:
- Eight countries within the Arctic region are; Denmark, Canada, America, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. These countries are members of the Inter-Governmental Forum ‘Arctic Council’.
- There are about four million people living in this area, of which about 10% people are locals or natives.
Source – The Hindu
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