Policy Update
Chetan Gupta
Introduction
“Whoever controls the oceans, runs the world.” – Alfred Mahan.
This statement has significant implications for the geopolitics of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) in the 21st century, as the region is becoming a chessboard for major powers. The IOR is crucial for global trade, energy and military strategy due to its shipping lanes, resources and chokepoints. India has been constantly refining its maritime policies to increase its dominance over the region.
Preview of Indian Ocean Strategic Map (Source: Carnegie India)
Background
During his visit to Mauritius in March 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the MAHASAGAR Vision (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth across Regions) for the Global South. It is an elevation of India’s Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR) vision, initiated in 2015.
MAHASAGR initiative shows the shift from a regional focus on IOR to a comprehensive global maritime approach. SAGAR Vision focused on the strategic importance of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), maritime security amid changing geopolitical dynamics and keeping a check on Chinese maritime expansion. MAHASGAR aims to increase India’s maritime capabilities, consolidating economic and security cooperation with regional neighbours.
Objectives
- Consolidate maritime partnerships across the Indian Ocean and African partner states.
- Strengthen regional trade, supply chains, and expand the blue economy.
- Enhance infrastructure, capacity building, and energy security to promote economic growth.
- Address non-traditional threats like climate-induced disasters and support sustainable development (skills training, disaster management, renewable energy).
- Promote India as a preferred security partner and first responder rather than just a “net security provider”
- Strategic containment of Chinese influence and strengthening India’s regional leadership and presence.
Functioning
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mauritius in March 2025 as a guest for the National Day celebrations of Mauritius. He announced a new vision- MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth across Regions).
Over time, Mauritius has evolved as a vital strategic partner for India in the Indian Ocean, considering its influential location and historical ties with India. In 2024, India and Mauritius had also jointly built an upgraded airstrip on Agalega Island, which is regarded as a primary strategic outpost for the Indian Navy in the Western Indian Ocean.
In 2015, PM Modi launched the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision from Mauritius, which has since become a fundamental strategic framework for India’s outlook towards the IOR.
PM Navinchandra Ramgoolam & PM Narendra Modi (Source: MEA, GoI)
Moreover, the increasing importance of the Indo-Pacific region in the 21st century has highlighted the centrality of the Indian Ocean Region more than ever before from India’s standpoint. India advocates a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region. Major great powers have outlined their vision for the Indo-Pacific, reiterating the region’s significance. In recent years, there has been an increasing presence of naval forces and military bases by China, the US and the EU members, especially in the IOR, because it has been witnessing rising tensions like spillover of conflict in West Asia, disruption of shipping due to Houthi attacks, piracy, etc.
These developments are redefining the security situation in the region. Even China’s assertive stance on the South China Sea and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) along the peripheral strategy named “String of Pearls” in IOR has drawn critical attention in international politics. Hence, the IOR has become prominent from the perspective of Indian foreign policy. Maritime security is essential to India’s engagements with the Indian Ocean littoral states, primarily focusing on defence and security cooperation.
India has demonstrated shifts in its maritime strategy over the last decade, from Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) to what is now referred to as the MAHASAGAR vision. Building upon the foundational stone of SAGAR vision, the MAHASAGR initiative expands the scope from maritime security to broader economic and geopolitical concerns. MAHASAGAR means “Great Ocean” and captures India’s broader ambition in the global maritime domain. MAHASAGAR should be seen not merely as an upgrade, but as a continuation of a longstanding strategic vision for the region.
SAGAR primarily encourages states to cooperate towards a safe, secure, and stable maritime domain. It projected India as a “net security provider” and “preferred security partner” in the region. It focuses on trade, tourism, infrastructure, environment, blue economy and security cooperation. The MAHASAGAR vision goes beyond the SAGAR and emphasises global maritime partnerships, security across all oceans, and the broader Global South. It also considers India a first responder and a key strategic and economic partner to boost shared prosperity and regional coordination.
It highlights the prime focus on three dimensions: trade for development, capacity-building for sustainable growth and mutual security for a shared future. The cooperation is ensured through technology sharing, concessional loans, and grants for infrastructure development. It substantially reiterates India’s commitment to mutual growth, collective security and sustainability.
The recent concurrent developments along the lines of the MAHASAGAR initiative have facilitated India’s maritime outreach. In April 2025, the first large-scale multilateral maritime engagement exercise was conducted between India and African countries, named Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME). AIKEYME also means ‘Unity’ in Sanskrit. Another significant step is the simultaneous deployment of the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar to friendly countries in the Western Indian Ocean. These steps are an operationalisation tool of the MAHASAGAR vision.
AIKEYME & IOS Sagar
Performance and Early Impact
The AIKEYME has improved the intraoperability and strengthened ties with 10 African countries (IOR littoral states). The deployment of INS Suyana as IOS Sagar has enhanced maritime domain awareness in critical chokepoints and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of nine countries in the Southwest IOR. Indian diplomatic engagement and assistance have increased during regional crises (e.g., oil spills, cyclones), even during the pandemic response, establishing the image of a responsible regional partner.
MAHASAGAR provides security by protecting maritime trade and increasing India’s military presence in the IOR. The economic integration via maritime security has helped secure supply chain networks and deter Chinese assertiveness. The increasing number of Indian naval exercises, information sharing, defence collaboration , and surveillance of the Indian Ocean has increased its security against piracy, illegal fishing, military expansion, and other threats. The MAHASAGAR initiative effectively strengthens India’s regional leadership, diplomatic position, technology and infrastructure development.
Emerging Issues
- India’s limited resources and capacity constraints compared to China’s much larger financial and annual reach become a significant challenge.
- The bureaucratic processes delay and hamper allocating resources to support regional institutional engagement.
- Balancing maritime security with development and soft power initiatives remains a challenge. It requires effective balancing.
- China maintains an entrenched presence and influence in strategic locations. Competing with this established network for influence among partner nations is geopolitically difficult.
- MAHASAGR declares strategic intent but still lacks the specific detailing and institutional mechanism, which seems a vague articulation that directly hinders the long-term implementation.
- There are non-traditional threats, e.g. piracy, illegal trafficking, climate disasters and environmental degradation in IOR, which are prominent challenges to tackle collectively.
Way Forward
India must utilise the momentum created by operational tools like IOS Sagar and the AIKEYME multilateral exercises. To strengthen the MAHASAGAR initiative, India should expand joint deployment and maritime engagement, which will directly boost real-time security cooperation and trust with IOR littoral states. India can come to the forefront as a maritime partner for the Global South by enhancing capacity-building, technology transfer and infrastructure support through concessional finance.
The long-term vision of MAHASAGR is to use India’s vast coastline, strategic location, and maritime heritage to drive economic prosperity, boost regional security, and ensure sustainable development for all stakeholders. The MAHASAGAR initiative focuses on India’s enduring commitment to a secure, stable, prosperous maritime future.
References
- Press Information Bureau (PIB). (2025, March 24). INDIAN NAVY’s MAIDEN INITIATIVES OF INDIAN OCEAN SHIP SAGAR (IOS SAGAR) AND AFRICA INDIA KEY MARITIME ENGAGEMENT (AIKEYME), Retrieved from https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2114491
- Press Information Bureau (PIB). (2025, June 3). Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Participates in Ministerial Discussion on ‘Shipping & Ocean Business,’ reaffirms India’s vision of MAHASAGAR ensuring ‘Growth for All’. Retrieved from https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2133528
- Indo-Pacific Studies Centre. (2025, April 28). From SAGAR to MAHASAGAR: India’s Strategic Evolution in the Indian Ocean Region. Retrieved from https://www.indo-pacificstudiescenter.org/commentaries/india-mahasagar-initiative
- Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). (2025, May 6). India–MAHASAGAR initiative. Retrieved from https://www.icwa.in/show_content.php?lang=1&level=3&ls_id=12852&lid=7850
- Observer Research Foundation (ORF). (2025. April 23). India’s MAHASAGAR vision: Strategic continuity in the Indian Ocean. Retrieved from https://www.orfonline.org/english/expert-speak/india-s-mahasagar-vision-strategic-continuity-in-the-indian-ocean
- Observer Research Foundation (ORF). (2025, April 10). MAHASAGAR is the next step in India–Africa collaboration: It addresses maritime security. Retrieved from https://www.orfonline.org/english/research/mahasagar-is-the-next-step-in-india-africa-collaboration-it-addresses-maritime-security
- Observer Research Foundation (ORF). (2025, March 29). SAGAR to MAHASAGAR: India reinforces its role in the Indian Ocean. Retrieved from https://www.orfonline.org/research/sagar-to-mahasagar-india-reinforces-its-role-in-the-indian-ocean
- The Indian Express. (2025, March 13). From SAGAR to MAHASAGAR: The growing warmth in Indo-Mauritian ties. Retrieved from https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/from-sagar-to-mahasagar-the-growing-warmth-in-indo-mauritian-ties-9885169/
- The Indian Express. (2025, March 17). Modi’s MAHASAGAR: India’s big bet on maritime power and the Global South. Retrieved from https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/modis-mahasagar-indias-big-bet-on-maritime-power-and-the-global-south-9889711/
- DD News. From SAGAR to MAHASAGAR: Experts call PM Modi’s maritime shift strategic and visionary. Image. Retrieved from https://ddnews.gov.in/en/from-sagar-to-mahasagar-experts-call-pm-modis-maritime-shift-strategic-and-visionary/
About the contributor: Chetan Gupta is a Research Intern at Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI). He is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in International Relations from South Asian University (established by SAARC nations), Delhi. His research areas are International Relations and Public Policy.
Acknowledgement: The author sincerely thanks Ms. Aasthaba Jadeja and the IMPRI team for their valuable support.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
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