UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh Launches India’s First Open-Sea Marine Fish Farming Project at North Bay, Andaman Sea; Ministry of Earth Sciences to Collaborate with UT Government of A&N

Q1. India's first Open-Sea Marine Fish Farming Project, launched at North Bay in the Andaman Sea, is being implemented under the overall administrative authority of which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
  • B. Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • C. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • D. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways

Q2. With reference to India's first Open-Sea Marine Fish Farming Project launched in the Andaman Sea, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It was launched at North Bay, Sri Vijaya Puram, in the Andaman Sea.
  2. Under its marine flora component, seaweed seeds were distributed to local fishing communities for deep-water cultivation.
  3. The open-sea cages deployed under the project were designed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology.
  4. It is India's first brackish-water shrimp aquaculture cluster developed in the nearshore coastal ponds of the islands.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 4 only

Q3. With reference to the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It is an autonomous institute functioning under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
  2. It is headquartered at Chennai.
  3. It was established in the year 1993.
  4. It functions as the nodal agency for India's Antarctic and Arctic polar research programmes.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. NIOT was set up to develop indigenous technology for harvesting living and non-living resources within India's Exclusive Economic Zone. Up to how many nautical miles from the baseline does India's Exclusive Economic Zone extend?

  • A. 12 nautical miles
  • B. 24 nautical miles
  • C. 200 nautical miles
  • D. 350 nautical miles

Q5. Among the autonomous institutes of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, which one of the following statements best describes the primary mandate of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)?

  • A. Developing indigenous deep-sea and ocean-engineering technologies
  • B. Providing ocean-state forecasts, tsunami early warnings and marine advisory services
  • C. Coordinating India's Antarctic and Arctic polar expeditions
  • D. Conducting monsoon and atmospheric numerical weather-prediction research

Q6. In 2025, the Ministry of Earth Sciences brought five of its autonomous institutes — IITM, NCESS, NIOT, NCPOR and INCOIS — under a single unified governance body. This body is known as the:

  • A. Earth System Sciences Council (ESSC)
  • B. National Ocean Governance Authority
  • C. Bhu-Vigyan Research Commission
  • D. National Earth and Ocean Sciences Board

Q7. 'India's Blue Economy: A Draft Policy Framework' (2020), which identified deep-sea and offshore mariculture as a priority area, was released by which one of the following?

  • A. Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM)
  • B. NITI Aayog
  • C. Department of Fisheries
  • D. National Institute of Ocean Technology

Q8. The draft framework for India's Blue Economy is organised around seven thematic pillars. Which one of the following is placed as the first/primary thematic pillar in the framework?

  • A. Marine fisheries, aquaculture and fish processing
  • B. Coastal and marine tourism
  • C. Marine ICT and biotechnology
  • D. Maritime governance

Q9. With reference to the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It was launched in 2020 with a total investment outlay of Rs 20,050 crore.
  2. It is implemented by the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
  3. It is implemented as an umbrella scheme comprising Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored components.
  4. It is designed to be fully completed within a period of two years from its launch.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 2 and 3

Q10. NITI Aayog's 2025 report 'India's Blue Economy: Strategy for Harnessing Deep-Sea and Offshore Fisheries' recommends the creation of a new National Deep-Sea Fisheries Authority. Under which of the following is this Authority proposed to function?

  • A. Department of Fisheries
  • B. Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • C. Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister
  • D. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways

Q11. The Ten Degree Channel, which separates the Andaman group of islands from the Nicobar group, is approximately how many kilometres wide?

  • A. 50 km
  • B. 100 km
  • C. 150 km
  • D. 250 km

Q12. In the context of the Standard Operating Procedure for Mariculture (2025), the term 'mariculture' is most precisely defined as:

  • A. The farming of marine organisms such as finfish, shellfish and seaweed in seawater, including the open sea and coastal waters
  • B. The rearing of fish exclusively in freshwater ponds and reservoirs
  • C. The capture of wild marine fish stocks using mechanised deep-sea trawlers
  • D. The commercial processing and export of harvested marine catch