The council comprises eight Arctic nations: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the US.

India has lobbied assiduously for a place in this body for some time. In November, at the ASEM meeting in Laos, the government lobbied hard with the Nordic countries. This was followed up during a state visit to India by the president of Iceland, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson in April.

Carl Bildt, the Swedish foreign minister and until this week the chairman of the Arctic Council, was prevailed on by foreign minister Salman Khurshid at the Heart of Asia conference in Kazakhstan recently. This is part of a proactive diplomacy that got India through the door, because traditionally, India has woken up to such opportunities only after they have passed.

Although India is not an Arctic state, as one of the rising economies of the world, it believes it has a stake in the Arctic Ocean and would like to be in the tent, to influence the decisions taken by the permanent members. In its application to the council, though, India focused on its science and technology expertise as the primary reason for joining up. India's institute of oceanography in Goa has undertaken signal research, specially on climate change issues in the Arctic.

Answering questions about the wisdom of increasing the number of members in what is known as the Kiruna Declaration, Swedish foreign minister Bildt said, "I would say it demonstrates the broad international acceptance of the role of the Arctic Council, because by being observer, these organizations and states, they accept the principles and the sovereignty of the Arctic Council on Arctic issues. So I think, as a matter of fact, it strengthens the position of the Arctic Council on the global scene."

Both India and China have been improving ties with Arctic nations and, funnily, both of them had trouble with Norway. India due to a much publicized incident with an Indian family and China because Norway, which hosts the Nobel committee, decided to give the Peace prize to a Chinese dissident.

However, officials said there were many cross-currents at the Arctic Council. India did not figure in them but may have unwittingly become a beneficiary. The primary disquiet related to the membership of China, whose mercantilist pursuit of energy and mineral resources was a reason for some Nordic countries raising objections.

China is keen on the northern Arctic route which apparently significantly cuts down the travel time for its energy supplies. It would also reduce its reliance on the Straits of Malacca. But China was an ad-hoc member, and has pitched its prospective membership along strategic lines. In addition, the membership of EU was deferred, largely because of its ban on Canadian seal exports.

The melting ice in the Arctic Ocean means that more ships are plying the northern sea route in the summer months than ever before. In 2012, over 46 vessels sailed the route, compared to 34 in 2011 and only four in 2010. Reports said Chinese scientists aboard a Ukrainian-built icebreaker, the Xuelong or Snow Dragon, completed the country's first trans-Arctic ship voyage from Shanghai to Iceland.