UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — PARLIAMENT QUESTION: IMPACT AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE DEEP OCEAN MISSION

Q1. As per the Ministry of Earth Sciences' 2026 reply in Parliament, research projects under the Deep Ocean Mission have been sanctioned across approximately how many national institutions?

  • A. 41
  • B. 55
  • C. 69
  • D. 92

Q2. Consider the following pairings of a vertical of the Deep Ocean Mission with the activity assigned to it: 1. Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services — observational and model-based projections of climate variables on seasonal to decadal scales 2. Energy and freshwater from the ocean — engineering design for an offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion-powered desalination plant 3. Deep-ocean survey and exploration — bio-prospecting of deep-sea flora, fauna and microbes for sustainable use 4. Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology — integrated system for mining polymetallic nodules from the Central Indian Ocean Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services — observational and model-based projections of climate variables on seasonal to decadal scales
  2. Energy and freshwater from the ocean — engineering design for an offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion-powered desalination plant
  3. Deep-ocean survey and exploration — bio-prospecting of deep-sea flora, fauna and microbes for sustainable use
  4. Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology — integrated system for mining polymetallic nodules from the Central Indian Ocean
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q3. Consider the following statements comparing the Deep Ocean Mission with the umbrella scheme O-SMART: 1. The Deep Ocean Mission was approved in 2021 at an estimated cost of Rs 4,077 crore for five years, while the continuation of O-SMART was approved the same year at an overall cost of Rs 2,177 crore for 2021-26. 2. The continuation of O-SMART was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, whereas the Deep Ocean Mission was approved as a scheme of the Ministry of Science and Technology. 3. The cost approved for Phase-I of the Deep Ocean Mission alone exceeds the entire approved outlay of O-SMART for 2021-26. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Deep Ocean Mission was approved in 2021 at an estimated cost of Rs 4,077 crore for five years, while the continuation of O-SMART was approved the same year at an overall cost of Rs 2,177 crore for 2021-26.
  2. The continuation of O-SMART was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, whereas the Deep Ocean Mission was approved as a scheme of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
  3. The cost approved for Phase-I of the Deep Ocean Mission alone exceeds the entire approved outlay of O-SMART for 2021-26.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. The Deep Ocean Mission received its inter-ministerial financial approval in June 2021 from which one of the following?

  • A. The Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by the Prime Minister
  • B. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister
  • C. The Prime Minister's Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council
  • D. The National Blue Economy Advisory Council under the Ministry of Earth Sciences

Q5. Consider the following statements regarding MATSYA-6000 and the Samudrayaan project: 1. Wet testing of MATSYA-6000 was conducted at the L&T harbour facility near Chennai in January-February 2025. 2. Indian personnel gained hands-on submersible experience aboard the French submersible NAUTILE in August 2023. 3. MATSYA-6000 is designed to carry three aquanauts to a depth of 6,000 m and is being developed under the Samudrayaan project. 4. Samudrayaan was sanctioned as a stand-alone scheme in 2016, four years before the Deep Ocean Mission was approved by the Cabinet. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Wet testing of MATSYA-6000 was conducted at the L&T harbour facility near Chennai in January-February 2025.
  2. Indian personnel gained hands-on submersible experience aboard the French submersible NAUTILE in August 2023.
  3. MATSYA-6000 is designed to carry three aquanauts to a depth of 6,000 m and is being developed under the Samudrayaan project.
  4. Samudrayaan was sanctioned as a stand-alone scheme in 2016, four years before the Deep Ocean Mission was approved by the Cabinet.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q6. Which one of the following statements best describes Samudrayaan?

  • A. An umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences covering ocean technology, observation networks and coastal research
  • B. A digital platform launched in 2025 for public access to ocean data for governance and disaster prediction
  • C. An autonomous underwater vehicle used to survey the polymetallic nodule site in the Central Indian Ocean Basin
  • D. A project to send three personnel to a depth of 6,000 m in an indigenously built human occupied vehicle

Q7. Consider the following statements about India's seabed mineral exploration rights in the Indian Ocean: 1. India signed a 15-year contract with the International Seabed Authority in 2002 for exploration of polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin. 2. India's polymetallic nodule contract area in the Central Indian Ocean Basin covers 75,000 sq km of international waters. 3. With the Carlsberg Ridge contract signed in September 2025, India became the first country to hold two polymetallic sulphide exploration contracts with the International Seabed Authority. 4. Commercial exploitation of polymetallic nodules by contractors is permitted under the International Seabed Authority's Exploitation Code, which was adopted along with India's Carlsberg Ridge contract. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. India signed a 15-year contract with the International Seabed Authority in 2002 for exploration of polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin.
  2. India's polymetallic nodule contract area in the Central Indian Ocean Basin covers 75,000 sq km of international waters.
  3. With the Carlsberg Ridge contract signed in September 2025, India became the first country to hold two polymetallic sulphide exploration contracts with the International Seabed Authority.
  4. Commercial exploitation of polymetallic nodules by contractors is permitted under the International Seabed Authority's Exploitation Code, which was adopted along with India's Carlsberg Ridge contract.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q8. India's polymetallic sulphides exploration contract for the Carlsberg Ridge is executed through which one of the following institutes?

  • A. National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai
  • B. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad
  • C. National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Goa
  • D. Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology, Kochi

Q9. The continuation of the umbrella scheme O-SMART, under which India's ocean research institutes operate alongside the Deep Ocean Mission, was approved in which year and at what outlay?

  • A. 2021, at Rs 2,177 crore for the period 2021-26
  • B. 2018, at Rs 1,623 crore for the period 2017-20
  • C. 2021, at Rs 4,077 crore for the period 2021-26
  • D. 2019, at Rs 2,823 crore for the period 2019-24

Q10. The December 2022 deep-sea mineral survey at 5,271 m in the Central Indian Ocean Basin was carried out from ORV Sagar Nidhi, a vessel operated by which one of the following?

  • A. Geological Survey of India, an attached office of the Ministry of Mines
  • B. National Institute of Ocean Technology, an institute of the Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • C. National Institute of Oceanography, a laboratory under the CSIR
  • D. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad

Q11. Consider the following statements comparing the cumulative Deep Ocean Mission achievements placed before Parliament in February 2026 with those placed before it in March 2026: 1. The number of collaborative research projects sanctioned under the Mission reported in March 2026 was higher than the number reported in February 2026. 2. Both replies reported the same number of seamounts surveyed in the Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar regions. 3. In both replies, the number of directional wave drifters deployed exceeded the number of Argo floats deployed. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The number of collaborative research projects sanctioned under the Mission reported in March 2026 was higher than the number reported in February 2026.
  2. Both replies reported the same number of seamounts surveyed in the Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar regions.
  3. In both replies, the number of directional wave drifters deployed exceeded the number of Argo floats deployed.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3