A flagship government mission to explore deep-sea resources, develop underwater technologies, and sustainably boost India’s Blue Economy (ocean-based economic growth).

• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• Launch & Budget: Approved in June 2021 with an outlay of ₹4,077 crore for phased implementation.
• Global Standing: Places India alongside the USA, Russia, Japan, France, and China as one of the few nations with crewed deep-sea exploration capabilities. 

Six Key Pillars

• Deep-Sea Mining & Manned Submersible (Samudrayaan):
  • MATSYA 6000: Indigenous submersible built by NIOT (Chennai) to carry 3 aquanauts to a 6,000m depth. Features a titanium-alloy hull (withstands 600 bar pressure), 12-hour operational endurance, and 96-hour emergency life support.
  • Mining: Developing underwater systems to harvest polymetallic nodules—seabed rocks rich in manganese, nickel, cobalt, and iron.
• Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services:
  • Developing ocean-atmosphere models to forecast long-term climate shifts, sea-level rise, and coastal hazards.
• Deep-Sea Biodiversity Exploration & Conservation:
  • Conducting bio-prospecting of deep-sea microbes, flora, and fauna for medicinal and industrial uses while protecting fragile seabed ecosystems. 
• Deep-Ocean Survey & Exploration:
  • Mapping hydrothermal sulphides (mineral deposits rich in copper, zinc, gold, and silver near underwater volcanic vents) along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.
• Energy & Freshwater from the Ocean:
  • Designing Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plants, which use temperature differences between warm surface water and cold deep water to generate clean power and freshwater.
• Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology:
  • Establishing a research hub for human resource development, marine bio-engineering, and commercializing ocean research.

Strategic & International Significance

• ISA Exploration Rights: Under UNCLOS, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) allotted India 75,000 sq. km. in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) for polymetallic nodules, and 10,000 sq. km. in the Indian Ocean Ridge for hydrothermal sulphides.
• Critical Mineral Security: Securing domestic cobalt, nickel, and manganese reduces import dependency for EV batteries, clean energy, and electronics.
• Environmental Safeguards: Operations adhere to the ISA’s Mining Code, mandating baseline studies and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) to prevent seabed habitat destruction.