HISTORY:

Department of Ocean Development (DOD) was created in July 1981 as a nodal and
independent department under the direct charge of PM for organising, co-coordinating and
promoting ocean development activities. Immediately after the formation of the Department,
Ocean Policy Statement was prepared and brought out in 1982. The Ocean Policy Statement is
primarily aimed at utilisation of marine living and non living resources for societal benefits in
a Substantial manner.
Considering India's long coastline and 37 per cent of her population deriving benefits from
the seas, this was significant considering the vast EEZ of 2 million square km coupled with
additional 1 to 1.5 million of continental shelf estimated to follow as against the land area of 3.28
million sq.km. Even some developed countries, with larger maritime areas had not thought of
creation of a separate entity or Department.

INTERNATIONAL LIAISON:
With the ratification of the UN Convention on Law of the Sea, a new international order has
been established for the oceans. India is represented in almost all the important bodies on
oceans. The oceanographic programmes have national, regional and global importance. The
Department is the nodal agency for several international programmes in the ocean sector and
represents the country in Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO,
Regional Committee of IOC in Coastal Indian Ocean (IOCINDIO), International Sea-Bed
Authority (ISBA) and the State Parties of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas
(UNCLOS), the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) and its scientific and managerial organs Commission on Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), Council of
Managers of National Antarctic Programme (COMNAP), Scientific Committee on Antarctic
Research (SCAR), etc.

Objective:
Salient features of the Policy Statement and thrust areas include:

Exploratory survey, assessment and sustainable utilisation/harnessing of the ocean

resources including living, non-living and renewable sources of ocean energy.
Technological advances geared to the utilisation and preservation of the marine
environment.
Development of technology relating to instrumentation, diving systems, position fixing,
materials development, oceanic data collecting devices, submersibles, etc.
Developmental activities related to integrated coastal and marine area management,
coastal community development, etc., with direct application to the welfare of the society.
Establishment of an ocean related information system using indigenous and foreign
sources; International co-operation in Ocean Science and Technology.
Development of technologies relating to seabed mining, extractive metallurgy and
conducting Environmental Impact Assessment studies.
Contribution towards front ranking research in polar sciences.
Basic and applied research in Ocean Science and Technology, Human Resource
Management, creation of Centres of Excellence in academic institutions and public
awareness on the potential and uses of ocean

Considering the need for capacity building and specialised skilled human resources as
emphasised in the Ocean Policy Statement, Department of Ocean Development has
established national institutes, viz. National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) at Chennai,
National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) at Goa, Indian National Centre for
Ocean and Information Services (External website that opens in a new window) (INCOIS) at
Hyderabad, Project Directorate, Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management (PD-ICMAM)
at Chennai and Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE) at Kochi. A special
mention must be made of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, one of the CSIR
institutes which have very significantly added information on several disciplines.

The programmes of the Department are directed towards:

(1) Technology Development Programmes for future applications with strategic, industrial and
economic significance; (2) Societal Programmes with direct/ indirect benefit for the community
by technology applications and pilot project demonstration with the participation of the
community for their socio-economic prosperity, and for coastal area development. (3) Marine
Resources Programmes for exploration of marine living and non-living resources, technoeconomic studies to evolve strategies for sustainable exploration and utilisation, and resource
enhancement. (4) Multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary Polar Science Programmes and
Antarctic Expeditions with scientific and geopolitical significance; (5) Capacity Building
Programme towards self-reliance through basic scientific research in ocean sector, human
resource development and establishing Centres of Excellence in academic institutions and (6)
Creation of public awareness of ocean, its potential and uses.
Marine Research and Capacity Building is one of the key programme areas of the Department
to promote basic research in marine science and establish centres of excellence in academic
institution and of self reliance.

FUTURE PROJECTION:
The Vision Statement highlighting the Perspective Plan 2015 of the DoD was formulated in
the year 2002 stipulating the Vision, the Mission, the Mandate and the Priority Areas, to be
pursued by the Department over the next decade. A number of new initiatives have been

introduced during the 10th Five-Year Plan period, which inter alia includes Gas Hydrate
Exploration and Technology Development for Assessment, Comprehensive Swath Bathymetric
Survey of Indian EEZ, Geophysical study of Laxmi Basin, etc. Further, considering the
devastating effect of Tsunami in Andaman and east coast, a new major initiative for setting up
Tsunami Warning System for Indian Ocean has been taken up.

SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS:
During the last two decades the Department has made significant additions to our knowledge
of Ocean Science and Technology. Some of these are given below:
Antarctica Expeditions: Established in 1983.Through demonstration of sustained interest and
capabilities in polar science and its logistics, India was admitted to the Antarctic Treaty System in 1983
and granted a consultative status in the same year. Later, India established an indigenously built modern
station Maitri in 1988-89.
National Data Buoy Programme: National Data Buoy Programme was started in 1997. This forms
an important component of the programme on Ocean Observation and Information Services. Till date
twelve buoys have been deployed in Indian waters in the depth range of 20 to 4,500 metres.
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion: OTEC is an untapped, non-polluting, renewable energy source,
which is appropriate for an energy starved nation like India.
Development of Potential Drugs from Ocean: A national project on Drugs from Sea was taken up
by DOD during 1990-91.This project is being implemented by involving ten institutions with the Central
Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, as the nodal agency for implementation.
Polymetallic Nodules Programme: In August 1987, India became the first country in the world to be
allotted 150,000 sq. km. of area in the central Indian Ocean for exploration and exploitation of
polymetallic nodules under certain obligations and was given the status of a Pioneer Investor under the
law of the Sea Convention. This status given was based on the pioneering work of exploration done by
India in the central Indian Ocean with the help of exploration technologies developed at the NIO, Goa.

REMARKS:
In the 21st century, Indians will have to depend a lot on sustainable use of ocean resources.
Thirty per cent of our population lives in coastal areas. For a better India, we have to make a
judicious use of our vast ocean wealth. For this to happen, we have to learn more about our
oceans. We have to devise ways to collect meteorological parameters in real time. We need to
map and estimate the utilizable potential of our living and non-living resources. The DOD is in
the process of developing a vision document for the next 20 years as well as establishing an
Ocean Commission on lines with the Space Commission and the Atomic Energy Commission
for enhancing our ocean related activities.