Centre to come out with 'Blue Economy' policy soon for ocean resources

The Centre is likely to come out with a 'Blue Economy' policy, aimed at harnessing ocean resources, in the next couple of months, a senior official said on Friday.

The contribution of 'Blue Economy' to the country's GDP currently stands at approximately four per cent and the policy aims to increase it to double digits by 2047, M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, told PTI here.

"...how do we harness ocean resources for the country's economic growth? This is the objective of the proposed policy," he said.

The government had earlier rolled out the draft blue economy policy in the public domain, inviting suggestions and inputs from various stakeholders.

The senior official was speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on 'Recent trends in space sector: New India' organised by the Academy for Science, Technology and Communication, Hyderabad jointly with National Academy of Sciences, India - Hyderabad Chapter.

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, who was the chief guest at the inaugural function, appreciated the contribution of scientists to the society and urged them to take the fruits of research to the common man.