When Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on his recent three-nation visit to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, the headlines were predictable – trade, defence, strategic partnerships, and geopolitics. But amid discussions around India’s Look East Policy of the Nehruvian era and the Act East Policy under the Modi government, one phrase deserved a little more attention: MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions).
At first glance, it may seem like another addition to Prime Minister Modi’s ever-growing collection of acronyms. Look a little closer, however, and it reflects something much bigger. MAHASAGAR is India’s maritime vision, launched by him in 2025, that broadens the country’s focus from the Indian Ocean to the wider Indo-Pacific while emphasising maritime security, sustainable development, and deeper cooperation with the Global South. More importantly, it signals how India’s understanding of sustainability is evolving – from an environmental agenda into a strategic pillar of diplomacy, economic resilience, regional cooperation, and foreign policy.
For most of us, sustainability evokes images of planting trees, reducing carbon emissions, banning single-use plastics, and switching to renewable sources. While these still remain essential goals, they no longer tell the complete story. Today, sustainability is also about energy security, healthy oceans, resilient supply chains, food security, and economic resilience. In short, sustainability is no longer about saving the planet; it is also about securing prosperity. It is about ensuring that we continue to grow without exhausting the very resources on which that growth depends. That broader understanding of sustainability was evident throughout the Prime Minister’s visit.
Oceans are Economic Lifelines
Take Indonesia, for example. For years, the Blue Economy sounded like an academic concept – at least to me. Today, it has become a strategic priority. During discussions between India and Indonesia, cooperation on sustainable fisheries, marine conservation, coastal resilience, maritime connectivity, and the development of environmentally responsible infrastructure, including the Sabang Port project, featured prominently.
The message was clear: oceans are no longer just vast bodies of water separating nations. They are lifelines that sustain trade, food security, energy security, tourism, and the livelihoods of billions living along these coastlines. According to the United Nations, nearly 40% of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometres of a coastline, while more than 80% of global trade by volume is transported by sea. Protecting oceans, therefore, is no longer just an environmental responsibility; it is also an economic necessity.
For India, with over 11000 kilometres of coastline, the sea is not some distant frontier. It quite literally laps at our shores, shaping our economy, our security, and the lives of millions. Also, for far too long, conversations about the Indo-Pacific have often been shaped by powers far removed from these waters. MAHASAGAR seeks to change that. It reflects India’s strong belief that countries in the region should play the leading role in securing, protecting and sustainably developing the maritime spaces on which their own futures depend.
Security and Sustainability Go Hand in Hand
The same thinking was evident in Australia. Traditionally, maritime cooperation meant naval exercises and defence agreements. Today, it also includes protecting marine ecosystems, securing shipping routes, responding to climate-related disasters, and strengthening maritime domain awareness. The newly announced India–Australia Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap reflects this broader approach. By bringing together agencies responsible for maritime security, border enforcement and ocean governance, both countries recognise that national security and environmental security increasingly go hand in hand.
Energy tells a similar story. India and Australia also reaffirmed their cooperation in clean energy, civil nuclear collaboration, and critical minerals – resources that are indispensable to the global energy transition. These partnerships are not merely about producing cleaner electricity. They are about strengthening long-term energy resilience, diversifying supply chains, and ensuring future energy security in an increasingly uncertain world.
It is No Longer the Responsibility of a Single Ministry
Viewed individually, these initiatives appear to belong to different ministries. One concerns the oceans. Another concerns energy. A third concerns security. Yet together, they tell a much larger story. While each may fall under a different ministry – whether the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change or the Ministry of Mines – the traditional boundaries between them are becoming increasingly blurred. Sustainability is no longer the responsibility of a single ministry; it needs to become a whole-of-government agenda that shapes diplomacy, economic strategy, and national security.
That is why sustainability today influences finance ministries funding clean infrastructure, foreign ministries negotiating critical mineral partnerships, defence ministries protecting sea lanes, industry ministries building cleaner manufacturing ecosystems and maritime agencies safeguarding the world’s busiest trade routes. It is becoming the common thread connecting them all.
Two Sides of the Same Coin
For decades, diplomacy was measured by trade agreements, military alliances, and political influence. While those will always remain important, the twenty-first century demands a broader measure of leadership. Who can protect shared oceans? Who can build resilient maritime supply chains? Who can strengthen regional resilience against climate change? The answers to these questions will increasingly shape not only international relations but also economic prosperity across the region. Because, for India, and increasingly for Asia, prosperity and sustainability are no longer separate ambitions. They are two sides of the same coin.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
