DEEP OCEAN MISSION

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 Why in news? 

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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.

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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.  

Polymetallic Nodules
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.