Union Minister Jitendra Singh launches ‘Samudrayan Project’

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh officially launched India’s First Manned Ocean Mission called the “Samudrayan project” at Chennai. The Unique Ocean Mission aims to have deep underwater manned vehicles for carrying out subsea activities.
• With this technology, India joins the elite club of nations such as the USA, Russia, Japan, France and China to have such underwater vehicles.
• The Unique Ocean Mission aims to have deep underwater manned vehicles for carrying out subsea activities.
• The deepwater manned submersible has been codenamed as the ‘MATSYA 6000’.
• It is developed by the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).
• The technology will help to conduct deep-ocean exploration of the non-living resources located at a depth of about 1000 and 5500 meters, such as polymetallic manganese nodules, gas hydrates, hydro-thermal sulphides and cobalt crusts.