India and France agree on ‘Roadmap on Blue Economy and Ocean Governance’
Recently India and France have signed the document ‘Roadmap on Blue Economy and Ocean Governance’.
This roadmap has the following objectives:
Enhance bilateral exchanges on the Blue Economy create a common plan for ocean governance based on the rule of law, and build sustainable and resilient coastal and waterways infrastructure.
Key features of the roadmap –
An India-France partnership on Blue Economy and Ocean Governance will be established.
- Institutional: Bilateral dialogue will be conducted on an annual basis. In this dialogue, both sides will exchange views on their priorities. In addition, they will also share best practices. Also, support each other in current and future endeavour.
- Economic: Blue economy will be given priority in the development of mutual economic exchange activities.
- Infrastructure: Both sides will cooperate on sustainable and resilient infrastructure based on coastal and waterways.
- Scientific and Educational: Research in marine science and technology will be promoted. This will ensure monitoring, conservation and sustainable use of marine resources and biodiversity.
Areas of Indo-French Cooperation:
- Defence: India has bought Rafale aircraft from France. In addition, India has also signed an agreement for 8 Scorpene submarines (P-75 project).
- Space: An agreement has been signed for cooperation on India’s first manned space mission ‘Gaganyaan’.
- Geo-strategic: Both countries are committed to ensuring a free and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.
Blue Economy
- Blue economy refers to the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic development, better livelihoods and employment. This will be done while maintaining the health of the ecosystem of the oceans.
- It accounts for 4.1 percent of the total economy of India. Fishing, deep sea mining and offshore oil and gas form a major part of India’s blue economy.
Source – The Hindu