The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Central Sector Scheme “Deep Ocean Mission”, with a view to explore Deep Ocean for resources and develop deep sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean resources. The mission will support the Blue Economy Initiatives of the Government of India. Oceans, which cover 70 per cent of the globe, remain a key part of our life. About 95 percent of Deep Ocean remains unexplored, the mission will augment the explorations of such vast resources.
Features of Deep Ocean Mission
- The estimated cost of the Mission will be Rs. 4077 crore for a period of 5 years to be implemented in a phase-wise manner. The estimated cost for the first phase for the 3 years (2021-2024) would be Rs.2823.4 crore.
- Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal Ministry for this mission
- Capacity development in Marine Biology
- Design, development and fabrication of specialised equipment, ships and setting up of required infrastructure are expected to spur the growth of the Indian industry, especially the MSME and Start-ups
- A research vessel for deep ocean exploration would be built in an Indian shipyard which would create employment opportunities
- It will allow a crew to plunge 6,000 metres into the ocean and hunt the floor for precious metals.
- India will be sixth country to have technology and expertise needed in such missions available with only five countries – US, Russia, France, Japan and China.
Components of Mission
The Deep Ocean Mission consists of the following six major components:
- The Deep Ocean Mission consists of the following six major components
- Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services
- Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity
- Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration
- Energy and freshwater from the Ocean
- Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology
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