Pact signed for development of Puducherry’s Blue Economy

The Puducherry government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences for the development of a Blue Economy in the Union Territory (UT).

The MoU was signed between Secretary of Earth Sciences, Government of India, M. Ravichandran and Puducherry Chief Secretary Sharat Chauhan in the presence of senior officials from the Ministry and Department of Science Technology and Environment (DSTE) in New Delhi on Thursday (February 12, 2026). An initiative under the Deep Ocean Mission of the Ministry, the agreement was considered a major step towards the strengthening of marine research, coastal resilience, and the development of a Blue Economy in the UT. 

Secretary-cum-Director of DSTE R. Smitha, in a press note, said the collaboration will enable Puducherry to leverage national-level scientific expertise and technical infrastructure, strengthen evidence-based coastal planning, enhance preparedness against climate-induced coastal risks, and promotion of sustainable livelihood means of the coastal communities.

“It envisages cooperation, inter alia, in the areas of sustainable marine fisheries, offshore mineral exploration, offshore wind energy, desalination technologies, ocean climate advisory services, coastal management mechanisms, and marine spatial planning. It will benefit key stakeholders across the Union Territory, including fisher communities, coastal residents, industries, researchers, and government departments,” she said.