Deep Ocean Mission

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister of India has approved the proposal of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) on "Deep Ocean Mission", with a view to explore deep ocean for resources and develop deep sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean resources. Deep Ocean Mission with be a mission mode project to support the Blue Economy Initiatives of the Government of India. Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal Ministry implementing this multi-institutional ambitious mission.
The Deep Ocean Mission consists of the following six major components:

1. Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining - An Integrated Mining System will be  developed for mining Polymetallic Nodules in the central Indian Ocean. 
2. Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services - provide future projections of important climate variables on seasonal. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of coastal tourism.
3. Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity - Bio-prospecting of deep sea flora and fauna including microbes and studies on sustainable utilization of deep sea bio-resources will be the main focus. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of Marine Fisheries and allied services.
4. Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration - The primary objective of this component is to explore and identify potential sites of multi-metal Hydrothermal Sulphides mineralization along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.
5. Energy and freshwater from the Ocean - Studies and detailed engineering design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plant are envisaged in this proof of concept proposal. 
6. Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology - This component is aimed as development of human capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and engineering. This component will translate research into industrial application and product development through on-site business incubator facilities. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of Marine Biology, Blue trade and Blue manufacturing.

Sources :  PIB