Holistic Maritime Security in The Indian Ocean Region: Pursuing A Sustainable and Secure Blue Economy-KAS Diginar

Nishit Jogi Organized jointly by KAS (Konrad Adenauer Stiftung), TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute), NMF (National Maritime Foundation) and FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), this diginar marked the beginning of the Quadrilateral series on Blue Economy. The Blue Economy is a relatively new concept that has been in the crosshairs of Indian Maritime Organisations (both Governmental and Non-governmental) since the start of the new governmental term in 2014. Closely linked with this is the concept of Holistic Maritime Security that can serve to provide a legal framework and logistical support to the undertakings for Blue Economy. This diginar dealt with those aspects. The diginar consisted of two sessions: the first one dealing with the conceptual understanding of Holistic Maritime Security and the second one dealing with the linkages that can be formed between Holistic Maritime Security and Blue Economy. As put by Mr. Peter Rimmele—the head of KAS, India Office—at the start of the diginar, the Blue economy has become one of the most important upcoming phenomena not just in economic terms, but also in strategic terms. This diginar was organized to benefit researchers engaged in the field and to gauge India's opportunities in the Indo-Pacific. There were quite-interesting points about holistic maritime security and how it can become a facilitator for the Blue economy. Holistic Maritime security can be a provider of public goods and safety regarding Blue economy transactions. It can be a way to further co-operations and forming of new regimes. Also, for India, it is the way to promote sustainable economic structures in the coastal regions and to combat natural calamities and ecosystem threats (due to climate changes). The challenges to this include inadequate legislative structure and a robust framework that takes into account the specific necessities of India. The diginar also talked about the current progress, technologically and ideologically, that India has achieved and its future maritime plans regarding the promotion of the Blue Economy. Overall, it was an enlightening experience, and it taught me a lot about the future that the Indian Ocean region holds. There were a lot of insights that I received regarding how the Blue Economy can become a talisman for India's naval challenges. It can provide a legal answer to prevent other countries like China, to stop researching in the Indian EEZ and around.