7 February 2026·PIB

Andhra Pradesh along with other Coastal States to Lead India’s Blue Economy Mission: Dr Jitendra Singh

In this note

1. At a Glance

Union MoS (IC) Science & Technology / Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh declared that Andhra Pradesh along with other coastal States will spearhead India's Blue Economy push under Union Budget 2026-27 [1].
Budget framed around three pillars — productivity, resilience, inclusivity — and projected as a 25-year strategic roadmap, not a one-year fiscal plan [1].
Examinable cluster: Blue Economy policy + Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) + Polavaram + Rare Earth Corridor + High-Speed Rail [1][3].

07 Feb 2026 PIB statement by Dr Jitendra Singh that coastal States, led by Andhra Pradesh, will drive India's Blue Economy under Budget 2026-27 — pushing marine & fisheries reforms, agriculture, irrigation (Polavaram), Rare Earth Corridor & high-speed rail corridors [1].

2017: Blue Economy first highlighted in India's Vision New India (the "sixth dimension") [2].
Feb 2021: Draft Blue Economy Policy for India circulated by Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) for stakeholder consultation [2].
16 Jun 2021: Cabinet approved Deep Ocean Mission — ₹4,077 crore for 5 years (2021-26); Phase-I ₹2,823.4 cr (2021-24) [3].
07 Sep 2021: DOM formally launched by MoES [3].
2025: NITI Aayog report — "India's Blue Economy: Strategy for Harnessing Deep-Sea and Offshore Fisheries" [4].
Feb 2026: Coastal States positioned as torchbearers under Budget 2026-27 [1].

Nodal ministry (Blue Economy policy & DOM): Ministry of Earth Sciences [2][3].
Fisheries nodal: Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying [5].
Draft Blue Economy Policy — 7 thematic pillars: (i) National accounting framework & ocean governance; (ii) Coastal marine spatial planning & tourism; (iii) Marine fisheries, aquaculture & fish processing; (iv) Manufacturing, emerging industries, trade, tech, services & skills; (v) Logistics, infrastructure & shipping; (vi) Coastal & deep-sea mining and offshore energy; (vii) Security, strategic dimensions, international engagement [2].
DOM outlay: ₹4,077 cr / 5 yrs; Phase-I ₹2,823.4 cr [3].
Coastal coverage: India's 7,500+ km coastline, 9 coastal States + 4 UTs, ~2 million km² EEZ [2].
Budget 2026-27 pillars per Minister: Productivity, Resilience, Inclusivity [1].
Andhra-specific deliverables flagged: Polavaram Irrigation Project, Rare Earth Corridor, High-Speed Rail corridor [1].

Economic

Blue Economy currently ~4% of India's GDP; policy targets uplift via marine exports, port-led growth, fisheries [2].
Marine product exports & coastal infrastructure made centrepiece of Budget 2026-27 [1].

Environmental

DOM mandates deep-sea biodiversity conservation, ocean climate services & sustainable harvesting — aligning with SDG-14 (Life Below Water) [3].
Risk: deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining vs marine biodiversity loss [3].

Scientific / Technological

DOM components: manned submersible Matsya-6000 (6,000 m depth), deep-sea mining tech, ocean climate change advisory, marine biology, offshore desalination, energy [3].
Private institutions roped in for technology development [3].

Geopolitical / Strategic

Maritime domain awareness in IOR; ties to SAGAR doctrine, Indo-Pacific posture [2].
Rare Earth Corridor reduces import dependence on China for critical minerals [1].

Administrative / Federal

Implementation via Chief Secretaries of coastal States + industry — cooperative federalism model [2].

Feb 2026: Dr Jitendra Singh's PIB statement on coastal States leading Blue Economy [1].
2025: NITI Aayog report on deep-sea & offshore fisheries strategy released [4].
2025: MoES White Paper "Ocean of Opportunities — Trade, Investments and Startups in the Blue Economy" [6].
DOM progress: human submersible Matsya-6000 scheduled for sea trials [3].

Blue Economy policy nodal ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences (NOT MoEFCC, NOT Fisheries) [2].
Deep Ocean Mission outlay: ₹4,077 crore over 2021-26 [3].
DOM launched: September 2021 [3].
Manned submersible under DOM: Matsya-6000, target depth 6,000 m [3].
Draft Blue Economy Policy has 7 thematic pillars [2].
Budget 2026-27 three pillars: Productivity, Resilience, Inclusivity [1].
Andhra Pradesh flagship irrigation project boosted: Polavaram (on Godavari) [1].
India's EEZ: ~2 million sq km; coastline 7,500+ km [2].
Blue Economy = 6th dimension of "New India" vision [2].
NITI Aayog 2025 report focus: deep-sea & offshore fisheries [4].
SDG most aligned with Blue Economy: SDG-14 [3].
DOM is implemented by MoES, not DST or MoEFCC [3].

GS-III: Indian Economy (infrastructure, growth), Environment & Conservation, S&T (deep-sea tech), Disaster Management (coastal).
GS-II: Government policies & interventions; Centre-State relations on coastal governance.
Probable stems: 1. "Discuss how the Blue Economy can serve as the next frontier of India's growth. Examine institutional and ecological challenges." (GS-III) 2. "Critically evaluate the Deep Ocean Mission in the context of India's strategic and economic interests." (GS-III) 3. "Coastal States are key stakeholders in operationalising India's Blue Economy. Comment on the federal architecture required." (GS-II)

Deep Ocean Mission / Matsya-6000 — flagship under same ministry [3].
PM Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) — fisheries flagship complementing Blue Economy [5].
Sagarmala Programme — port-led development of coastline.
SAGAR doctrine & MAHASAGAR — IOR maritime strategy.
Polavaram Project — multipurpose Godavari project, Andhra centrepiece [1].
Rare Earth Elements & Critical Minerals Mission — supply-chain security [1].
CRZ Notifications & ICZM Project — coastal regulation.
SDG-14 Life Below Water — UN framework alignment.

Confusing nodal ministry — MoES owns Blue Economy policy & DOM; MoFAHD owns PMMSY/fisheries; do not swap [2][3][5].
Mistaking DOM outlay — correct figure is ₹4,077 cr (not ₹4,047 / ₹4,777) [3].
Treating Blue Economy Policy as notified — it remains a draft policy [2].
Confusing Matsya-6000 (DOM submersible) with Matsya Sampada (fisheries scheme).
Polavaram is on the Godavari (not Krishna) in Andhra Pradesh [1].