What happened (Lok Sabha written reply on DOM achievements)
The Ministry of Earth Sciences, in a Lok Sabha written reply, reported progress and notable achievements under the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)—a Government of India flagship programme launched in 2021. The reply lists DOM’s work across six verticals and describes outputs in deep-sea mining technologies, ocean climate services, deep-sea biodiversity research, deep-ocean surveys, ocean energy and freshwater, and ocean biology infrastructure.
DOM: the six verticals and what the mission is trying to do
DOM is described as aiming to explore and harness ocean living and non-living resources (including biodiversity, polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulphides, and ocean thermal energy) as part of the pilot project for developing India’s Blue Economy. The six DOM verticals are:
Development of technologies for deep-sea mining, human submersible craft, and underwater roboticsDevelopment of ocean climate change advisory servicesTechnological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversityDeep-ocean survey and explorationEnergy and freshwater from the oceanEstablishment of Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology
Notable achievements reported under each DOM vertical
Related current affairs
- The Bay of Bengal as India’s SHANTI anchor
- Odisha’s blue economy initiatives under PMMSY: approvals worth ₹1,301.18 crore since 2020-21
- Blue Economy support via High Seas Fisheries Guidelines and Exclusive Economic Zone Rules
- The sea has a seat at the table
- VP launches Letter of Authorisation (LoA) for Sustainable Harnessing of High Seas Fisheries; Odisha Deep Sea Fishing Mission document released