Two Indian aquanauts effectively carried out deep-sea dives in the Atlantic Ocean, as part of the Samudrayaan Project, under the Deep Ocean Mission

Concerning the Deep Ocean Initiative

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) initiated it on September 7, 2021, with a funding of ₹4,077 crore spread over five years.

It seeks to create technologies for investigating and sustainably harnessing deep-sea resources while supporting India's Blue Economy and scientific prominence.

The Blue Economy represents a fundamental growth aspect, with the ability to elevate India’s maritime economy past ₹100 billion.

The implementation occurs in stages and is in accordance with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030).

Essential Elements of the Mission

Samudrayaan Project (Deep-Sea Mining & Manned Submersible): Creation of a crewed submersible designed to transport three individuals to depths of 6,000 meters.

Development of a Unified Mining System for the extraction of polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean.

Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services: Developing observation tools and model collections to predict climate variables ranging from seasonal to decadal timeframes.

Facilitates improved strategizing for coastal towns and tourism.

Exploration and Conservation of Biodiversity: Bio-prospecting of marine plants, animals, and microorganisms in the deep sea.

Encourages the sustainable utilization of marine biological resources for fishing and related industries.

Deep Ocean Exploration & Survey: Locating multiple metal hydrothermal sulfide locations along the mid-ocean ridges.

Enhances India's access to deep-sea mineral resources.

Ocean Energy and Freshwater: Demonstration of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)-based desalination facilities.

Enhances offshore renewable energy and water safety.

Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology: Creation of a facility dedicated to research in ocean biology and engineering.

Promotes innovation, incubation, and industrial uses of marine science.

Strategic Significance

India is a natural leader in ocean science because of its distinctive maritime geography, which includes 1,382 islands, nine coastal states, and 11,098.81 km of coastline. The mission supports aquaculture and fisheries;

Energy security, coastal tourism, and marine biotechnology

In his recent Independence Day speech, the prime minister highlighted India's efforts to develop a "Samudra Manthan," a mission-style endeavour to search for oil and gas deposits beneath the ocean floor.

A National Deep Water Exploration Mission is currently being developed from the Deep Ocean Mission.