NEW DELHI - India will collect shipping information in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea from 24 countries or regions, according to a plan approved by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The local daily The Tribune said Monday the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has approved the plan recently. The plan covers the area from African East Coast to Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

"We have the CCS approval to go ahead for collecting white shipping (non-military shipping) information. We will go country by country to have greater transparency of what all (ships) passes through these waters," the report quoted Navy Chief Admiral Robin Dhowan as saying.

The report quoted sources in New Delhi as saying ground-based, airborne and space-based monitoring systems in the countries covered by the plan will pick up information about all ships but will share only the data of merchant shipping.