Lok Sabha Question No. 4221 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: New Polar Bhavan and Sagar Bhavan facilities
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar, Shri Krishna Prasad Tenneti

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4221

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 18 TH  MARCH, 2026

## NEW POLAR BHAVAN AND SAGAR BHAVAN FACILITIES

## 4221. SMT. MAHIMA KUMARI MEWAR: SHRI KRISHNA PRASAD TENNETI:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  construction  of  the  new  Polar  Bhavan  and  Sagar  Bhavan  facilities  has strengthened India's research capabilities in the Arctic and Antarctic regions and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the manner in which the Government proposes to integrate these facilities with India's long-term Polar Research Programme and global climate commitments; and
- (c) whether the Government plans to launch additional domestically built research vessels under the 'Make in India' initiative to strengthen polar and ocean research and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Yes Sir. The newly constructed Polar Bhavan and Sagar Bhavan facilities significantly strengthen India's research capabilities in the Polar regions. Different types of samples collected  during  the  annual  scientific  expeditions  to  the  Arctic,  Antarctic,  Southern Ocean and Himalayas are being processed at the advanced laboratories and analytical instruments  housed  at the  Polar  Bhavan  enabling  cutting-edge  studies in polar geosciences, deep-ocean mineral exploration, and climate dynamics. The ' Science on a Sphere' facility and upcoming Polar and Ocean Museum promote scientific outreach and global collaboration. Sagar Bhavan's ultra-low temperature ice-core labs, cold storage, and metal-free clean rooms support critical climate and cryosphere research, enabling precise geochemical and isotope analyses. Collectively, these facilities strengthen India's institutional capacity to conduct advanced  scientific research, preserve valuable cryospheric  samples,  and  promote  knowledge  dissemination  in  the  field  of  polar  and ocean studies.
- (b) The Polar and  Sagar  Bhavan  facilities  shall  support  India'  long-term  Polar  Research Programme and global climate commitments by:
-  providing  support  for  integrated  scientific  investigations  across  the  Antarctic  and Arctic  regions,  while  also  complementing  research  efforts  in  the  Himalayan cryosphere and surrounding oceans.
-  providing advanced laboratory capabilities, infrastructure will enable interdisciplinary studies in glaciology, climate science, polar biology, atmospheric sciences, and oceanography, thereby reinforcing India's capacity to generate highquality scientific knowledge on polar and cryospheric processes.
-  systematically managing cryospheric sample repository that will ensure the secure preservation of valuable samples collected from polar and high-altitude environments.  This  strengthened  repository  will  facilitate  long-term  monitoring, comparative  analyses,  and  future  research,  thereby  expanding  opportunities  for collaborative scientific investigations at national and international levels.

Collectively, these facilities will play a pivotal role in advancing India's long-term Polar Research Programme, supporting evidence-based understanding of climate variability and  cryosphere  dynamics.  The  strengthened  research  capacity  will  also  contribute meaningfully  to  India's  global  climate  commitments,  including  improved  climate observations,  data  sharing,  and  international  scientific  cooperation  in  addressing  the challenges posed by climate change.

- (c)      India is significantly advancing its polar and ocean research through the 'Make in India' initiative.  Currently,  the  Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences  (MoES)  is  building  a  new Oceanographic  Research  Vessel  (ORV)  at  the  M/s  Garden  Reach  Shipbuilders.  This vessel is designed to bolster marine exploration in the Indian Ocean region.

In  addition,  the  Ministry  is  also  in  the  process  to  build  a  Polar  Research  Vessel,  an Oceanographic Research Vessel (ORV), and a Fishery Oceanographic Research Vessel (FORV).

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