In a strategic policy push, Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday underscored the urgent need to tap into India’s under-utilised marine economy through targeted promotion of startups in coastal states. Speaking at the CSIR StartUp Conclave 2025 in Mumbai, the Minister called for greater focus on the ocean sector, calling it a “relatively untapped frontier” with the potential to drive value addition in India’s growing economy.
“Mumbai is not just a financial capital but a gateway to unlocking India’s blue economy,” Singh said, noting the country’s 7,500-km-long coastline that remains ripe for innovation and industrial development.
Deep sea mission as a turning point
Singh credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier announcement of the Deep Sea Mission as a pivotal moment that brought national attention to marine innovation. Since then, strategic intent and resource allocation toward ocean sciences have gathered momentum, he noted.
“Only after the Deep Sea Mission did we begin approaching the marine sector with seriousness,” he said, signalling that coastal innovation will play a defining role in India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
A democratised startup ecosystem
Dispelling the notion that startups flourish only in metropolitan hubs, the Union Minister emphasised the rise of innovation in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, adding that 49 per cent of startups are emerging from smaller towns.
The minister also challenged traditional assumptions about educational prerequisites for entrepreneurship. He asserted that a formal science degree is no longer a barrier; what matters is aptitude and passion.
As the country prepares for its centenary of independence in 2047, the CSIR StartUp Conclave has positioned itself as a crucial platform for aligning science, innovation, and entrepreneurship with national development goals.
“The future of India’s economy lies not just in land or air, but beneath the sea,” Singh noted.