- Women’s participation in India’s maritime sector rose 340% since 2020
- Sarbananda Sonowal highlighted women’s empowerment as key to maritime growth
- India reaffirmed commitment to a safe and inclusive Indian Ocean Region
Women’s participation in India’s maritime sector has increased by 340 per cent since 2020, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday said, underscoring the government’s push to build a more inclusive, future-ready maritime workforce.
In the keynote address delivered by Minister Sonowal at the 10th Indian Ocean Dialogue held in India, ‘Nari Shakti’ (Women Power) was identified as one of the pillars of India’s maritime growth story.
“Through initiatives like ‘Sagar Mein Samman’, we are advancing dignity, inclusion and leadership opportunities for women in the maritime sector, which has seen a remarkable rise of about 340 per cent since 2020,” Sonowal said.
The Minister expressed confidence that India will work with all of its partners to advance a safe, secure and stable Indian Ocean Region.
The Minister placed this increase in women’s participation within the context of India's overall vision for its maritime industry, which seeks to create growth while empowering its citizens socially.
Minister Sonowal also mentioned that the 'human element' is still the primary concern in developing India’s strategy for all phases of maritime issues, as well as in improving security, connectivity and sustainability in the region.
“The Indian Ocean is not just a geographic space, but a global lifeline,” Sonowal said, adding that its importance to global energy flows, trade and supply chains calls for stronger cooperation, resilience and inclusivity.
India will be hosting its tenth Indian Ocean Forum (known as the Indian Ocean Dialogue) as 2022-24 Chair of the Indian Ocean Region Association (IORA). The overall emphasis of the forum is on the Indian Ocean Region in an Evolving World.
The forum includes ministers, policymakers, academics and industry leaders discussing issues such as maritime security, blue economy, disaster risk management and women's empowerment.
The forum promotes four IORA themes of Innovation, Open-ness, Resilience and Adaptability with women's economic empowerment being a primary cross-cutting priority area under India's Chairmanship.
Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, mentioned that India acts as the Net Security Provider in the IOR, providing humanitarian assistance, maritime security and disaster response.
He also emphasized that no one nation can solve maritime problems on their own, so they are calling for collective action and co-operation based on a fundamental commitment to transparency and respect for international legal obligations by all parties.
“India remains committed to working with all partners to advance a safe, secure and stable Indian Ocean Region,” Sonowal said
The Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) is IORA's flagship Track 1.5 research-based platform that was created in 2014 in Kochi to bring ministers, policy-makers, researchers and industry leaders together to discuss various topics of interest to the IORA's member nations.
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