# Blue Economy can lift GDP share to 8% by 2030: Earth Sciences Secy 2026-08-24T17:31:49+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Union Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary T. Srinivasa Kumar has said India's Blue Economy could increase its contribution to GDP from about 4% now to 8% by 2030. Speaking in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, he said the government is focusing on shipping, tourism, fisheries, logistics and renewable energy as part of this strategy. An atlas is being developed to identify areas suitable for ocean-based energy generation. Kumar outlined six major areas under India's Deep Ocean Mission. These include the Matsya-6000 submersible for research up to 6,000 metres depth, mapping of marine biodiversity and exploration of deep-sea minerals like manganese, nickel and cobalt. The mission also covers research on ocean thermal energy conversion and desalination plants for coastal areas. Six desalination plants have been completed so far. ## Indian Opinion Analysis India's 7,500-kilometre coastline and exclusive economic zone of over 2 million square kilometres give it a strong natural base for a Blue Economy push, but the current 4% GDP share is low compared to nations like Indonesia or Australia that have similar endowments. The Deep Ocean Mission, approved in 2021 with a Rs 4,077 crore budget, is the government's primary vehicle for this transition. Matsya-6000, if successful by the 2028 target, would make India one of a handful of countries with a manned deep-sea submersible. The real test is whether the mineral extraction and energy technologies can move from surveys and pilot plants to commercial scale before 2030. The ministry's next milestone is the marine biodiversity DNA database and the seabed mining environmental impact study, both expected by 2028. ## Coverage - etvbharat.com Story is a direct Q&A-style report of an official's statements with no added commentary or slant. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Andhra Pradesh, Deep Ocean Mission, Ministry of Earth Sciences, T Srinivasa Kumar Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/blue-economy-can-lift-gdp-share-to-8-by-2030-earth-sciences-secy/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/blue-economy-can-lift-gdp-share-to-8-by-2030-earth-sciences-secy/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/