New Delhi: India is striving to have its Polar Research Vessel (PRV) within the next five years in order to sustain its presence in Antarctica, disclosed Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju. In response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, he emphasized that a proposal concerning the ship is anticipated to undergo Cabinet approval during the present fiscal year.
The minister highlighted that back in 2014, the Cabinet had sanctioned Rs 1,051 crore for the procurement of the vessel, while a tender had also been floated.
The project was ultimately abandoned by the government due to certain conditions imposed by the company awarded the shipbuilding contract, which were not part of the original tender process. However, a new effort has been initiated and we are now prepared to present a proposal to the EFC (Expenditure Finance Committee), according to Rijiju.
The cost of the vessel is now estimated to be Rs 2,600 crore. The Minister said that they should be ready to propose the estimate and move in the Cabinet in the current financial year. In the next five years, they should be ready with the ship. The government is in talks with other countries which have expertise in making such ships. This will help India build its capacity to make such ships in the future, he added.
Rijiju, however, noted that the government would like to manufacture the ship in the country itself. “I am hopeful that in the next five years, we should be able to build the ship, hopefully in India,” he said. India currently has three research base stations in the polar region.
Polar Research Vessels (PRVs) are essential to gain continuous access to the research stations needed to understand climate change and other research matters. The ships not only perform research and logistics in the polar region but can also serve as a research platform for scientists to undertake research in the ocean realm, including the Southern Ocean. By providing a unique and continuous platform for research in these remote regions, PRVs help advance our understanding of climate change and other important research matters.
