New Delhi: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Thursday inaugurated the first meeting of the Multi-agency Maritime Security Group (MAMSG) under the chairmanship of Vice Admiral (Retd) G Ashok Kumar, India’s first National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC).
The meeting was held eight months after the Narendra Modi government approved the post of NMSC and four months after Vice Admiral Kumar. appointment,
as before informed of By ThePrint, it has been 22 years since the post of NMSC and MAMSG were created, as the recommendations to set up an “apex body for the management of maritime affairs” for the first time since the Kargil war were made by a Group of Ministers (GoM) .
“The formation of MAMSG is an important step by bringing together diverse stakeholders at the Center and Coastal States/UTs,” an official press statement said at Thursday’s meeting.
In his inaugural address, Doval urged for “seamless coordination” of the marine sector and talked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic initiatives for the marine fisheries sector. The meeting also focused on several “critical policy issues” such as the “Blue Economy Initiative”.
Some other key points of discussion, as noted in the official statement, are “mapping of existing orders and policies on maritime security to identify gaps, review of standard operating procedures for maritime contingencies, monitoring of ports and coastal infrastructure”. security, creation of a national maritime database, capacity building of coastal states and union territories”.
according to Asia Maritime Transparency InitiativeA Washington DC-based program set up by the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, India is said to have a “rich maritime tradition”. However, it noted, India was on the receiving end of “significant security threats” during the British Raj and after independence, and it was not until the 26/11 attacks that the government priority Maritime security issues increased with the allocation of Rs 46,323 crore in the Union Budget for FY 2022-23.
“As India’s economy grows, so will its dependence on maritime trade and marine resources. A coordinated approach is needed to safeguard our maritime interests from a range of threats and challenges. Therefore, maritime security has gained prominence in India’s security discourse as well as international outreach,” said the government press release on the background behind the establishment of the NMSC.