Focus: GS I: Geography
Why in News?
According to the Ministry of Earth Science, the Samudrayaan Mission is expected to be realised by year 2026.
About Samudrayaan Mission
- The goal of the expedition is to deploy three people in the “MATSYA 6000” vehicle to a depth of 6000 metres to explore deep-sea resources including minerals.
- The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, is designing and developing the “MATSYA 6000” vehicle for the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- For the safety of people, it can operate for 12 hours normally and 96 hours in an emergency.
- It is a part of the Rs 6000-crore Deep Ocean Mission and is India’s first unique manned ocean mission.
Significance:
- The manned submersible will enable research experts to directly examine and comprehend unexplored deep-sea regions.
- It will also strengthen the central government’s plan for a “New India,” which includes the blue economy as one of the top ten growth drivers.
- There are nine coastal states and 1,382 islands along India’s 7517 kilometres of coastline, which is in a unique marine position.
- With the oceans on three of its sides and around 30% of the people living along the shore, the coastal regions are important for India’s economy.
- It promotes aquaculture, tourism, livelihood, and blue trade.
About Deep Ocean Mission:
Nodal: Ministry of Earth Sciences
- Deep Ocean Mission is a mission mode project to support the Blue Economy Initiatives of the Government of India.
- Government of India has also launched a ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ for exploration of polymetallic nodules in Central Indian Ocean Basin.
- Polymetallic nodules contain multiple metals like copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, iron, lead, zinc, aluminium, silver, gold, and platinum etc. in variable constitutions and are precipitate of hot fluids from upwelling hot magma from the deep interior of the oceanic crust.
- It is a Central Sector Scheme and no separate allocation for States is envisaged.
- It is proposed to collaborate with non-governmental organizations for research collaboration for various components of Deep Ocean Mission.
The major objectives proposed under Deep Ocean Mission are as follows:
- Development of technologies for deep sea mining, underwater vehicles and underwater robotics;
- Development of ocean climate change advisory services;
- Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep sea biodiversity;
- Deep ocean survey and exploration;
- Proof of concept studies on energy and freshwater from the ocean; and
- Establishing advanced marine station for ocean biology.
