Union Minister of State of Earth Sciences; Science and Technology; MoS PMO; Department of Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions; Atomic Energy; and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh felicitated 21 trainees nominated by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) headquarters in New Delhi . The candidates had completed two months of training at MoES institutes commencing September 2024 on deep-sea mineral exploration of Polymetallic nodules (PMN) and Polymetallic sulphides (PMS). The trainings were aimed at capacity building for developing countries and enhancing international cooperation as per India’s ongoing contracts with ISA on deep-sea mineral exploration in the Indian Ocean.
Dr Jitendra Singh held interactive discussions with the felicitated trainees and called for continued focus and progress on conservation efforts and sustainable exploration and utilisation of resources. He also discussed the need for a more proactive approach to drafting robust regulations and fostering cooperation and collaboration. Dr M Ravichandram, Secretary, MoES, congratulated the participants and expressed appreciation for the successful conclusion by MoES institutes.
The trainings were conducted by two MoES autonomous institutions–the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, and the National Centre for Ocean and Polar Research (NCPOR), Goa. NIOT conducted the at-sea training on PMN for nominees from Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Nigeria and Ghana. NCPOR conducted on-land training on PMS for participants from Ghana, Madagascar, Jamaica and Nigeria. The participants also gained insights by visiting other MoES institutes (Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad; National Centre for Earth System Sciences, Thiruvananthapuram; and Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology, Kochi). The training programs were academically supported by CSIR institutes (National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, and Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneshwar).
MoES is the nodal agency of the Government of India for deep-sea bed mineral PMN and PMS exploration activities under the ISA. ISA, headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica, is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1994 under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to regulate mineral-related activities in the international seabed.