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Raksha Mantri, Mr Pranab Mukherjee will be inaugurating the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) in New Delhi tomorrow afternoon. The Indian Navy is assisting in the initial setting up and functioning of the institution that will temporarily operate from the premises of Naval Officers Mess, Varuna. NMF will be a non-government organisation with representation / membership from every field of maritime and related activities. Since most people have no direct experience of the seas and there is commonly little awareness of the affairs that go on at sea, the maritime dimension is perhaps not too clearly understood or appreciated. Whilst it is common knowledge that 71% of the earth’s surface is covered by water, the interaction of humans with the seas is not consciously understood e.g. it is rarely recognized that 2/3rd of the human population resides within the narrow littoral belt of land within 300 miles of the coast. The National Maritime Foundation (NMF) is aimed to be the cutting edge institution, which would serve as a focal point for research in matters maritime as well as to study, analyse, formulate, and present options for vibrant and evolving national maritime policy. The foundation would also promote maritime awareness, CBM (confidence building measures) and maritime cooperation, maritime heritage, history and traditions.
In a country like India, which possibly because of its history of overland strife and which has traditionally located the seat of governance far inland, this lack of knowledge is further compounded. Not many would be know that 90% of India’s trade by volume (77% by value) is sea borne. Lesser still would be aware of our maritime heritage dating back 4000 years. India’s coastline is nearly 7517 Km of which 5423 Km is the mainland and the rest, island territories (A&N – 572 is; Lacadives – 27 is). The sea is already being harnessed as a commercial source for magnesium, bromine and a number of other substances but few would be conscious that other than huge sea bed deposits there is a large quantity of almost every element dissolved in the water of the sea. At an average, every cubic mile of sea water contains 6,400,000 tons of magnesium, 23,000 tons of barium, 800 tons of lithium, 47 tons of zinc, a ton of silver and one of the least concentrated, there is 38 pounds of gold amongst many other elements.
As India seeks to attain its deserved position in the world order and searches for means to sustain the advancements and standing attained in the last few years, there is bound to be a growing need to look towards the oceans that surround us. Each aspect of the maritime dimension and the role of each organization connected therewith will not only need constant review but also synergy of interoperability. Trade & commerce, ocean resource (including oil, fisheries, sea bed minerals) management, ports & shipping, security (including piracy, terrorism, contraband, environment and smuggling control) technology & shipbuilding, disaster management, tourism etc; all need to be integrated and closely entwined towards achieving a national objective that is increasingly aligned seaward.
VG/AK
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