Why in news?
Ministry of Earth Sciences is set to launch 10,000 crore “Deep Ocean Mission” to study and harness the mineral resources beneath the ocean floor by January 2017.
Background
India boasts of 7500 km of coastline and 2.4 million square km of exclusive economic zone.
The program on Polymetallic nodules was initiated at CSIR-NIO (National Institute od Oceanography) with the collection of the first nodule sample from Arabian Sea on board the first Research Vessel Gaveshani on 26 January 1981.
India was the first country in the world to have been given the Pioneer Area for exploration of deep-sea mineral viz. Polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin in 1987 under the UN Law of the Sea.
About Deep Ocean Mission
- It will also involve the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Biotechnology.
- Major components of the project are deep ocean energy, desalination plant along the Chennai coast, deep sea science and fisheries, minerals and polymetallic nodules.
- The exclusive economic zone allotted to India will be covered under the mission.
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| Also known as manganese nodules, they are largely porous nodules found in abundance carpeting the sea floor of world oceans in deep sea. Besides manganese and iron, they contain nickel, copper, cobalt, lead, molybdenum, cadmium, vanadium, titanium, of which nickel, cobalt and copper are considered to be of economic and strategic importance. | |
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