Atal Centre at Dollygunj placed at the centre of a blue economy push for the islands

16 October 2026

The Ministry of Earth Sciences has said the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are to be developed as a hub of India's Blue Economy.
The Union Minister of State visited the Atal Centre for Ocean Science and Technology for Islands, a unit of the National Institute of Ocean Technology, at Dollygunj in Sri Vijaya Puram.
Pilot-scale open sea cage culture of marine fish and large-scale seaweed cultivation have been taken up there, and the technology has already been transferred.
The release points to marine bio-resources under the BioE3 policy as a source of biodegradable plastic alternatives, new medicinal compounds and high-value bio-products.
Non-animal food, alternative marine nutrition, waste-to-wealth technologies and export-oriented marine produce were listed as emerging areas, with growing demand in Europe.
The Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr M. Ravichandran, and the Member of Parliament for the islands, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, were among those present.