India's role and presence in the Arctic

The Arctic is warming faster than any other part of the planet, and the scramble for its shipping routes, minerals and influence is growing. India has been a party to Arctic governance for more than a century, yet its presence there is still thin: a single research station, observer status without a vote, and a policy that is still mainly about science. A parliamentary committee has now asked whether that is enough.

The institutions that govern the Arctic

The Arctic Council was set up by the 1996 Ottawa Declaration. It has eight Arctic states and thirteen observer states, and it works by consensus, which means observers can speak but cannot decide. India became an observer in 2013. The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 is older: India was among the original fourteen signatories, and the treaty lets its nationals visit Svalbard without a visa and carry out commercial activity there.

India's presence on the ground

• Himadri: India's permanent research station at Ny-Alesund on Svalbard, opened in 2008, for climate, atmospheric and glaciological research.
• IndARC: a moored observatory deployed in the Arctic Ocean in 2014 to track ocean and climate change.
• NCPOR: the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is the nodal agency for India's polar research.
• Arctic Policy 2022: India's first Arctic Policy, covering science, climate, economic and strategic interests in the region.

Why the Arctic matters to India

The connection is not only scientific. Changes in Arctic ice affect the monsoon, which shapes Indian agriculture and water security. The Northern Sea Route, as ice retreats, could shorten voyages between Asia and Europe, and the Chennai-Vladivostok corridor links Indian ports to the Russian Far East. The region also holds critical minerals and hydrocarbons that matter for resource security. In October 2026, the first commercial container round trip through the Arctic was completed, a sign that the shipping story is moving from theory to practice.

The parliamentary committee's report

The Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs examined India's role and presence in the Arctic and Antarctic regions and concluded that India must move from science to strategy. Its recommendations include exploring full membership of the Arctic Council, building a quadrilateral of Asian observer states with Japan, South Korea and Singapore, and raising the Arctic's profile in foreign policy.

The committee also drew attention to the gaps: India has no polar research vessel and depends on chartering, it has no dedicated Polar Ambassador, and its Arctic spending, at Rs 17.53 crore in 2024-25, is under one-tenth of its Antarctic spending.

Why it matters

The Arctic is where climate change, trade routes and great-power competition meet. For India, the question is whether a century of standing, a research station and observer status are enough, or whether the Arctic deserves the same strategic attention as Antarctica. The committee's answer is that the shift from science to strategy is overdue.