SAGAR Vision (India)

SAGAR — an acronym for Security and Growth for All in the Region, and also the Hindi word for "ocean" — is India's overarching policy framework for engagement with the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). It was articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2015 during his visit to Mauritius, where he commissioned the offshore patrol vessel MCGS Barracuda. The doctrine reframed India's maritime outlook from a narrow security focus toward a broader regional public-goods agenda combining naval cooperation, capacity building, blue economy, and disaster response.

SAGAR rests on several interlocking elements:

• Maritime security cooperation with littoral states, including joint patrols, hydrographic surveys, and white-shipping information exchanges coordinated through the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at Gurugram, inaugurated in 2018.
• Capacity building through transfer of patrol vessels, training, and coastal radar networks for partners such as Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
• Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), exemplified by Indian Navy missions like Operation Rahat (Yemen, 2015) and COVID-era Mission Sagar deliveries of medical supplies in 2020.
• Blue economy and connectivity, linking SAGAR to initiatives such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and India's role in the Colombo Security Conclave.

SAGAR is widely read as India's response to expanding Chinese maritime activity in the IOR, including the "String of Pearls" port investments and PLA Navy deployments. It complements the Act East Policy, the Neighbourhood First Policy, and India's role within the Quad. In 2024–2025, Indian officials began describing an extension called MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions), broadening the framework to the wider Global South, articulated by PM Modi during a visit to Mauritius in March 2025.