Ministry of Earth Sciences and NIOT Host Industry Outreach Workshop on Deep Sea Mining to Secure India's Critical Mineral Future

The Ministry of Earth Sciences and the National Institute of Ocean Technology, in association with EY and NITI Aayog, convened an Industry Outreach Workshop on Deep Sea Mining in New Delhi. The workshop focused on securing India's critical mineral future by exploring business opportunities and strategic importance within the Blue Economy. Discussions highlighted India's exclusive International Seabed Authority exploration contract over 75,000 sq. km in the Central Indian Ocean Basin, holding millions of tonnes of polymetallic nodules, and its contracts for polymetallic sulphides. It also emphasized indigenous technology development under the Deep Ocean Mission and the transition toward a commercial 'mine-to-metal' ecosystem involving private sector participation, subject to the International Seabed Authority's upcoming Exploitation Code.