Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh has said that India is set to be the 6th country to have its own Deep Sea Mission. Dr Singh said this while chairing a meeting to discuss the 100-day Action Plan of the Ministry of Earth Sciences in New Delhi. During the meeting, Dr Singh expressed pride and happiness on the progress of the Deep Sea mission and India being among the very few nations to achieve this feat. He asked institutes to focus on achieving a resilient blue economy to empower people dependent on the ocean and its energy for livelihood.

On drawing the contours of the deep sea mission, he said that the mission is not limited to mineral exploration but the development of ocean sciences, exploration of flora and fauna and conservation of marine biodiversity among others.