India’s Evolving Maritime Vision: From SAGAR to MAHASAGAR

By Partha Pratim Sarma 

A stable Indo-Pacific is very important from the territorial as well as the economic security perspective of India. The US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates in the Shangri-La Dialogue 2009, had famously mentioned India as the “Net provider of security in the Indian Ocean and beyond”. The US obviously wanted India to balance China when it advocated for an increased naval presence for India in the region. But India managed to take advantage of the evolving global world order in positioning itself as a key actor in the Indo-Pacific region. In March 2015, PM Modi launched India’s strategic maritime initiative ‘Security and Growth for all in the region (SAGAR) in Mauritius. The doctrine was a reaffirmation of India being a “net security provider of the region”. Now India is eyeing to be a global stakeholder in the maritime arena of the world through its evolved maritime vision - MAHASAGAR. 

China's Belt and Road Initiative and formation of the String of Pearls around the Indian coastline had the capacity to choke India economically while threatening the security of the nation. The SAGAR initiative, while it had a broader aim, it immediately wanted to counter China by focusing on the coastal neighbours of the country and building trust. The key areas that were identified in SAGAR were - Maritime Security Cooperation, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), Economic Growth, Sustainable use of Maritime Resources (Blue Economy), and Capacity building exercises. SAGAR was supposed to establish India as a reliable partner in the Indo-Pacific for the littoral countries of the Indian Ocean region and beyond. For realising this goal, multilateral and bilateral naval exercises like MALABAR (India-US-Australia-Japan), MILAN, AUSINDEX (Australia - India), JIMEX (Japan- India), VARUNA (France-India) were conducted. India also played a crucial part in developing maritime infrastructure in countries like the Maldives, Mauritius, and Seychelles. Rescue and relief missions in Srilanka, Myanmar, and the Maldives; aid to Mozambique and Madagascar after the devastating cyclone in 2019-20 were all initiatives that positioned India as a reliable partner in the Indo-Pacific region. These acts, in a way, gave credibility to the maritime vision of India.

But time demands a more comprehensive and evolved maritime vision from India now. Hence came forth the MAHASAGAR initiative. PM Modi in March, 2025 announced the revised maritime doctrine of India, ‘Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions’ (MAHASAGAR) from the same island nation that witnessed the launch of SAGAR. There have obviously been some factors that prompted this evolution. Firstly, the aggressive economic policies (debt trap) of China have always been a source of discomfort for India. Owing to the gigantic Chinese investments in countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Maldives, their foreign policies have been heavily influenced in favour of Chinese interests. Secondly, the present international scenario has made it clear that for India to emerge as a global power, expansion of interest is needed. MAHASAGAR while gives due importance to the Indo-Pacific, also incorporates the global south under its purview. Thirdly, India has identified Africa as a strategic frontier. African nations are easy prey to the Chinese debt-trap game. To secure the western maritime flank of India, it is important to form partnerships with these nations that are reliable and mutually beneficial. Finally, India has realised that it must set the agenda in the maritime domain rather than wait for a crisis to occur and then act. It's time to be proactive rather than a reactive actor.  

The Key areas that MAHASAGAR gives more importance to are, 

Expansion of Interest - The evolved vision gives importance to diversification of maritime trade partners as well as routes. Western IOR gains prominence and the littoral African nations are identified as crucial maritime partners. This vision has directly implied India’s interest in containment of Chinese advancements in the Indian Ocean region.  

Technology sharing - The whole spectrum of defence and security has gone through rapid change with the introduction of advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and drones. Under MAHASAGAR importance is given to sharing real time data, advanced technology with the partner countries to build trust and garner mutual benefit.

Providence of loans and grants - China has succeeded in establishing partnerships with different nations because it always had something to offer, be it loans, infrastructure or connectivity. MAHASAGAR, gives importance to providing concessional loans and grants to countries in need. This presents the countries in need with a genuine alternative to China.

Along with the lines of this vision India has already started to act. To counter piracy in the western Indian Ocean, Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) was launched in April, 2025. Navies from 9 littoral countries along with India took part in this maritime exercise. Also, PM Modi announced a $175 million special economic package to Seychelles in February, 2026 under the MAHASAGAR initiative. 

But there are also some challenges that roam over this vision. Firstly, MAHASAGAR needs a strong structural as well as institutional framework which SAGAR lacked. A dedicated institution that executes and oversees the initiatives under this vision is a must. It can’t sustain based on just some political speeches of leaders. The question of whether India has the naval capacity and economic bandwidth to sustain the expanded commitments must also be addressed so that countries place their trust on India. 

SAGAR basically means Sea, while MAHASAGAR means Oceans. The name itself depicts the evolution of India’s maritime vision. It is expanding. It must be understood that MAHASAGAR is not here to replace SAGAR. It amplifies the vision to be more relevant. India has been acting as a regional stabilizer for long. It has gained credibility. Now it's time to assume the position of a leading global stakeholder. The trade war waged by the USA presents India with the opportunity to position itself as a stable economic partner to the small maritime states, which are naturally seeking to diversify dependency. 

**Partha Pratim Sarma is a student of MA, Political Science, Dibrugarh University. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies.