Policy Update
Kumar Ankit
Introduction
The Arctic is the region which spans from 66° 34’ N to 90° N latitude and includes the Arctic Ocean and the North Pole at its centre. The region covers countries like Canada, the United States, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden. Together these countries are members of the Arctic Council, which is a forum for promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic states. The Arctic is a top priority for research and policymaking due to its impact on the Earth’s ecosystem. It is vulnerable to climate change, which is likely to result in the melting of sea ice and ice caps and warming of the ocean and atmosphere.
This affects India’s development, water security, economic security, monsoon patterns, coastal erosion, and glacial melting. Melting Arctic ice also opens up new opportunities for energy exploration, mining, shipping (opening new sea routes), and food security. India’s vast experience in scientific research in Antarctica and the Himalayas will help India’s scientific community better understand the Arctic region.
Despite being a tropical nation, India took its first step in the Arctic with the signing of the Svalbard Treaty in February 1920 and then first laid the scientific expedition in the year 2007. All of India’s Arctic ambitions are codified in a formal India’s Arctic Policy document titled “India and the Arctic: Building a Partnership for Sustainable Development”, released on 17 March, 2022.
Objectives of India’s Arctic Policy
- To strengthen India’s cooperation with the Arctic region.
- To synchronise polar research with the third pole, i.e., the Himalayas.
- To contribute to the enhancement of humankind’s understanding of the region.
- To further invigorate international efforts on combating climate change and protection of the environment.
- To encourage the study and understanding of the Arctic within India.
The six pillars of India’s Arctic policy are:
- Science and Research
- Climate and Environmental Protection
- Economic and Human Development
- Transportation and Connectivity
- Governance and International Cooperation
- National Capacity Building
Functioning & Developments
India’s Arctic expedition began in 1920 with the signing of the Svalbard Treaty in Paris, which gave India non-discriminatory rights to undertake scientific and economic activities in the Svalbard archipelago. This was a nominal commitment until the first Indian Arctic scientific expedition in 2007, which was dedicated to collecting baseline data on oceanography, atmospheric sciences, and biology.
In 2008, India established its permanent Arctic research base, Himadri, in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, significantly advancing its Arctic year-round presence. Himadri conducts more in-depth work on studies of aerosols, glacier dynamics, fjord systems, space weather, and the linkages of climate change with the Indian monsoon weather system. Since that time it has been predominantly manned for around 180 days a year and has accommodated over 300 Indian scientists and researchers.
In order to build on this data collection initiative and to establish continuity in observation, India established IndARC in 2014, which is a multi-sensor, moored observatory in Kongsfjorden. The important feature of IndARC is that this is a totally unique underwater system developed by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in collaboration with the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).
The objective of IndARC is to study specifically the Arctic fjord ecosystem in terms of its relation to the Indian Ocean monsoon system. In 2016, India completed the biosphere observatory, Gruvebadet Atmospheric Laboratory, in Ny-Ålesund. The laboratory includes advanced instruments studying long-range pollutants, cloud processes, snow chemistry, and radiation and made significant contributions to the breadth of trans-Arctic environmental science.
At the core of India’s Arctic programme is the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), which is located in Goa and operated under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). The NCPOR is the nodal organisation responsible for the polar research programmes. India’s institutional structure for polar science has become a multi-tier structure with multiple actors participating in the research cycle:
- NCPOR directs planning and implementation for Arctic expeditions and maintains the Indian Antarctic and Arctic stations and logistics.
- ISRO adds satellite-based observations for Arctic sea ice and weather patterns.
- NIOT has contributed with underwater instrumentation according to protocols such as IndARC.
- IITs and universities, such as JNU, University of Delhi and Goa University, provide research collaboration expertise.
- MoES provides overall policy frameworks, budget approval, and diplomatic engagement.
India’s legal and diplomatic position in the Arctic is defined primarily by its observer status at the Arctic Council, which India achieved in 2013 and has been an active participant in since. Though it is not a decision-making member state, India actively participates in Council Working Groups and contributes to joint projects on climate monitoring, biodiversity and pollution in the Arctic Ocean. India is also a founding member of the Ny-Ålesund Science Managers Committee and an active member of the International Arctic Science Committee and the University of the Arctic, which gives India an additional foothold in the broad regime of Arctic science governance.
On 3-4 May, 2025, New Delhi hosted the Arctic Circle Forum 2025. It included 30 thematic sessions with 80 speakers from 16 countries. The theme of this forum was Arctic–Asia geopolitics, science–climate linkages, resources governance, and the blue economy. The Forum was a strategic leap in India’s Arctic diplomacy—moving the discourse from science to geopolitics, connectivity, and climate security.
India’s legal position is firmly rooted in respect for the sovereignty of Arctic states, the scientific neutrality of the Arctic, and the preservation of the Arctic as a global common. India does not claim sovereign rights regarding the territorial waters, nor does it actively pursue licences for commercial exploitation. India extends principles of sustainable use, equitable access to knowledge, and scientific diplomacy.
The academic interest and research activity related to the Arctic is broad across its universities and institutes, with over 25 Indian universities and institutes involved. Academic activity spans research on glaciology, cryospheric science, microbiology, tracking pollution, and climate modelling. Since 2007 we have witnessed the publication of nearly 100 peer-reviewed articles on Arctic science and policy by Indian scholars. Through collaborations with premier Arctic institutes, which include the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) and the Korean Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), Indian scientists have sailed on cruises with both NPI and KOPRI to study ice-melt processes and their relationship with the monsoon.
India is involved in international Arctic science meetings and at strategic fora, including the Arctic Energy Summit and the Arctic Science Ministerial. ONGC Videsh’s interest, through its parent organisation ONGC, has explored opportunities with respect to Russian Arctic energy projects; the 2022 policy supports the examination of responsible offshore hydrocarbon activities. India monitors the Northern Sea Route (NSR); with reduced sea ice, there is a logistical advantage for overland support; consideration of the NSR potentially reduces Asia‑Europe transit time by 12–15 days; note that this requires an understanding of seasonal enabling conditions and building shipping capacity with respect to Arctic dynamics.
India has been involved in 13 expeditions to the Arctic, has a total of 23 active projects, and has been involved in joint coastal and ship-based scientific cruises off the Svalbard coastline. This activity represents India’s increasing footprint and capacity to contribute to burgeoning science in the Arctic.
India’s research station, “HIMADRI—the abode of snow” at NyÅlesund, Svalbard, Norway (Source: NCPOR website)
Emerging Issues
Although India has made greater strides into the Arctic region, challenges remain that could diminish the sustainability and strategic impact of its engagement.
- Geopolitical Flux and Strategic Balance
The nature of the changing world’s geopolitics will continue to impact developments in the Arctic region. A troubling geopolitical dynamic has developed as a result of the deterioration in the Russia-West relationship, heightened military modernisation of Arctic states, and an increasingly assertive role for Beijing through its Polar Silk Road initiative.
Balancing India’s traditional ties with Russia while expanding its cooperation with Arctic democracies such as Norway and the U.S. as an aspiring regional actor requires deft diplomacy. As governance in the Arctic becomes more polarised, India’s capacity to contribute will likely diminish unless India takes a more proactive role in multilateral settings and pursues observer status in emerging forums such as the Arctic Economic Council or emerging regional Arctic science coalitions.
- Environmental and Climate Challenges
The Arctic region is warming at more than twice the global average, and the implications are profound for both the region and India. As ice and melting glaciers, as well as thawing permafrost in the Arctic, have implications for sea-level rise, anomalous weather, and monsoon variability in South Asia. India faces the paradox of being a rapidly industrialising country that contributes to global emissions seeking to protect fragile ecosystems in the Arctic.
Its credibility as a climate champion will hinge on a greater coherence between the climate ambitions of actors in India and its furtherance of sustainability in the Arctic. Moreover, potential ethical and ecological dilemmas may arise from heightened interest in resource extraction, prevalently hydrocarbons, and, to some extent, rare earth elements. While Indian public sector companies like ONGC Videsh have entered discussions to partner in Arctic oil and gas, the risks related to environmental damage to a sensitive region, should the Arctic or sub-Arctic be designated for oil and gas exploration, are significant.
- Operational and technical limitations
Currently India’s operations in the polar region are hampered by:
- Lack of polar research vessels with ice-breaking capability.
- Limited year-round staffing of Himadri.
- India’s reliance on logistical support from host countries, such as Norway.
- Human resources that include engineers, technicians, and climate modellers who are Arctic trained are in short supply.
These limitations mean India is unable to scale research or act independently in response to not only Arctic emergencies but also field contingencies, as was seen in the case of an emergency involving the Arctic Research project involving India’s university sector.
- Legal Authority and Data Handling
Being a non-Arctic state, India has no voting rights at the Arctic Council and zero influence over decisions on territorial claims and commercial navigation. Its influence will really rest on the credibility of its scientific inputs and consistency in its policy positions. On top of that, India’s data access, data sharing protocols, and intellectual property rights, as well as coordination with international databases, lack a clearer rendition of systems and tools. Greater transparency and accessibility of Arctic data generated by Indian institutions may enhance India’s international scientific reputation.
- Financing and Coordination
India’s polar programmes may be ambitious, but long-term funding and intergovernmental coordination remain uncertain. As the Arctic Policy does not have a publicly accessible implementation plan or fine details on financial commitments, India’s Arctic goals are at risk of remaining aspirational without funding, budgets, and timelines.
Conclusion
India’s Arctic journey is an impressive exhibition of science-orientated diplomacy. From its symbolic start in 1920 with the Svalbard Treaty to establishing permanent research infrastructure, India has emerged as a credible and respected player in Arctic matters. The power of India’s programme is its scientific neutrality, its multidisciplinary work, and its desire for peaceful cooperation. The deployment of Himadri, IndARC, and Gruvebadet underlines India’s long-term investment in understanding Arctic phenomena and their connections to the Indian subcontinent, especially regarding the monsoon system, sea-level rise, and Himalayan glacial mass loss. India’s institutional capacity, which is grounded in NCPOR but intersects with the Ministry of Earth Science (MoES), ISRO, and academic networks, has fulfilled the roles of continuity and scientific integrity.
Its legal strategy has been equally pragmatic, as India has framed its engagement in the Arctic as responsible engagement governed by existing international frameworks, as opposed to calling into question, or promoting exploitation of, the sovereignty of Arctic stakeholders. The strategic attraction of Arctic mining—particularly possible partnerships with Russia for rare earths and hydrocarbons—cannot be ignored, especially when we are an import-reliant country for a number of critical minerals needed for India’s clean energy transition.
But any consideration of any kind of engagement in Arctic mining must be rooted in sustainability and legal considerations. Nothing else can reflect India’s global climate commitments and ambitions for environmental leadership. That said, if India is to be relevant in an ever-crowded Arctic space, it must be willing to tackle all challenges associated (including the development of polar logistics, icebreakers, and remote sensing satellites; finding a year-round research presence; capacity building of human resources; maintaining data transparency; and developing regional diplomacy).
India is poised to emerge as a key player in the future of the Arctic, a region that has a direct relationship to India’s own climate, energy and strategic future. All of which are contingent on thinking about ambition, responsibility, science and stewardship.
References
About the Author: Kumar Ankit is a Research Intern at IMPRI, New Delhi, He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Political Science from Jamia Millia Islamia University and has qualified for UGC-NET in Politics, including International Relations/International Studies.
Acknowledgement: The author extends his sincere gratitude to the IMPRI team and Ms Aasthaba Jadeja for their invaluable guidance throughout the process.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
