Lok Sabha Question No. 1968 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-12
Subject: Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Gowdar Mallikarjunappa Siddeshwara

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1968

## TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY12, 2021

## INTEGRATED OCEAN DRILLING PROGRAMME

## 1968. SHRI G.M. SIDDESHWAR:

## Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether the Ministry has been partner to Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme in the past years, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the achievements made under this programme; and
- (c) whether the Ministry is planning to work with other countries on such joint  missions in future and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

- (a)    Yes,  Sir.  Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences  (MoES)  joined  International  Ocean  Discovery Program (IODP) - erstwhile Integrated Ocean Drilling Program consortium in 2009 as  an  Associated  Member  through  memorandum  of  understanding  (MoU)  between MoES and National Science Foundation (NSF), USA. As a part of the MoU, Indian scientists  have  been  participating  on  various  IODP  expeditions  every  year.  Also, India  through  MoES  is  represented  on  three  panels  of  IODP,  namely,  JOIDES RESOLUTION  Facility  Governing  Board,  IODP  Forum  and  Science  Evaluation Panel.  Currently,  23  countries  including,  India  are  partner  to  IODP  and  because  of this,  several  IODP  expeditions  had  been  conducted  in  the  Arabian  Sea  and  Bay  of Bengal in the last few years.
- (b)   IODP  has  been  a  great  scientific  initiative  for  Indian  geoscientists.  Indian  scientists have  achieved  positive  momentum  in  ocean  R&D  and  have  come  to  the  fore  of scientific research in many aspects:
- 1)  The  MoU  with  NSF  guarantees  exclusive  access  of  drilling  core  samples  and participation of Indian scientists/ researchers in every IODP expeditions conducted  63394/2021/O/o  PO  (AKG)  2  around  the  world  onboard  JOIDES RESOLUTION  as  well  as  European  Consortium's  Mission  Specific  Platforms (MSP).
- 2) More than 45 Indian scientists have participated in various IODP expeditions since 2009.
- 3) Taking lead, in 2015, India undertook an exclusive drilling expedition, IODP-355, in  the  Arabian  Sea  to  collect  long  sediment  cores  for  unravelling  the  long-term evolution of Indian Monsoon and its linkages with the mountain building process in the Himalaya. During the expedition, two boreholes were drilled in the Laxmi basin,  eastern  Arabian  sea,  Indian  ocean  with  the  help  of  the  research  vessel JOIDES Resolution. In total, ~1700 m of sediment and sedimentary rock, as well as 17 m of igneous basement was drilled. IODP-355 expedition has also enabled scientists to discover how a short-lived subduction event around 70 million years ago  played  a  key  role  in  shaping  the  present  day  western  Indian  continental margin. The expedition has yielded more than 30 top notch scientific publications led by Indian scientists.
- 4)  Association  with  IODP  has  enhanced  collaboration  of  Indian  participants  with international institutions and universities.
- (c)     Yes,  Sir.  India  being  part of  this  international  consortium  23-member  countries, continues  to  involve  and  engage  our  Indian  marine  researchers  in  the  future scientific drilling expeditions.

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