The Union Cabinet on January 5 cleared a ₹4,797-crore programme called ‘Prithvi’ (Earth) that is expected to subsume five existing schemes of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
These programmes are to improve and increase long-term observations of the atmosphere, ocean, geosphere, cryosphere and solid earth to track changes in the planet; develop models to understand and predict weather, ocean and climate hazards, and understand the science of climate change; explore polar and high-seas regions of the earth to discover new phenomena and resources; develop technology for exploration and sustainable harnessing of oceanic resources for societal applications; and translate knowledge and insights from Earth Systems science into services for societal, environmental and economic benefit.
“A major component of the Ministry is the Deep Ocean Mission or DOM [one of whose objectives is to send a manned submersible 6,000 metres into the Indian Ocean]. The Prithvi programme broadly subsumes all of our other major activities,” M. Ravichandran, Secretary, MoES, told The Hindu.
