India’s Arctic Narrative: Why Climate Security and Geopolitics Demand a Clear Strategy

India’s Arctic Narrative Latest News

• A recent Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs report, “India’s Role and Presence in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions,” has highlighted a widening gap between India’s Arctic ambitions and its actual capabilities — coming close on the heels of India’s Arctic Policy, 2022.

India’s Arctic Credentials

• India’s Arctic engagement dates back over a century: as part of the British Dominion, it was among the original 14 signatories of the 1920 Svalbard Treaty, which entitles Indians to visit the Svalbard archipelago without a visa and undertake commercial activities there.
• Today, India remains one of only two developing countries with a permanent scientific presence in the Arctic, through its Himadri research station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard.
• However, engagement has largely stayed confined to scientific research, even as the Arctic evolves into a convergence point for climate change and geopolitics.

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Why India Needs an Arctic Narrative: Climate Security

• Monsoon linkage: Agriculture contributes about 18% of India’s GDP and supports over half its population, with nearly 70% of annual rainfall coming from the southwest monsoon. 
  • Emerging research points to an Arctic-Indian monsoon teleconnection, where Arctic warming and shrinking sea ice alter atmospheric circulation patterns affecting South Asian rainfall.
• Sea-level rise: The Arctic is a major driver of global sea-level rise, threatening low-lying nations like the Maldives and large parts of Bangladesh and India’s coastline. 
  • Estimates suggest over 250 million people in vulnerable South Asian coastal regions could be affected by mid-century — a challenge with direct implications for migration, humanitarian response, and national security.

Geopolitical Stakes

• Two of India’s closest strategic partners, the US and Russia, are Arctic nations, while China — despite being a non-Arctic state — has invested heavily in Arctic infrastructure, research, and shipping.
• The Arctic is emerging as a zone of great-power competition over maritime access, energy security, and critical mineral supply chains.
• India enjoys goodwill with all eight Arctic states, reinforced by the recent India-Nordic Summit (covering Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland) and improving ties with Canada — a diplomatic advantage few other countries possess.

Institutional and Capability Gaps

• No Dedicated Polar Ambassador
  • Arctic affairs responsibility is fragmented across four different divisions within the Ministry of External Affairs, hampering coherent policy-making.
  • All Arctic states, and even non-Arctic states like Singapore, have dedicated Arctic envoys — India does not, despite having a formal Arctic Policy.
• Absence of a Polar Research Vessel (PRV)
  • Without an ice-class research vessel, India’s Arctic research remains confined largely to Svalbard, dependent on foreign collaboration or chartered vessels — limiting research continuity and scheduling flexibility.
  • Though a PRV was sanctioned by the Union Cabinet in 2014, it remains undelivered, with current plans pushing completion to the end of this decade.
  • In contrast, China acquired a second-hand Ukrainian icebreaker (Xuelong/”Snow Dragon”) as an interim measure and now operates multiple polar vessels, including a nuclear icebreaker under construction — a model India could emulate.
• Inadequate Funding
  • India spent just Rs 17.53 crore on Arctic activities in 2024-25 — less than one-tenth of its Antarctic spending, and less than the cost of building a single kilometre of flyover.
  • This is seen as disproportionately low for a region influencing sea-level rise along India’s 11,098-km coastline and holding major climate and geopolitical significance.

Conclusion

• India possesses historic legitimacy, scientific presence, and diplomatic goodwill in the Arctic, but its institutional structures and budgetary commitments do not match its strategic interests. 
• With the 2022 Arctic Policy providing the framework and the Parliamentary Committee identifying the gaps, the urgent task now is to convert policy intent into concrete capability — through a Polar Ambassador, a dedicated research vessel, and adequate funding — to secure India’s long-term climate and geopolitical interests in the region.

Source: IE | TD