India' Arctic Expedition Policy

🔹 About:

1. Aims at expanding scientific research, sustainable tourism and exploration of mineral oil and gas in the Arctic region

2. National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research will lead scientific research and act as a nodal body to coordinate among various scientific bodies to promote domestic scientific research capacities in the Arctic

🔹 Objective:

1. Promoting Scientific Study of Arctic

2. Planning Explorations

3. Promoting Arctic Tourism

🔹 Arctic:

1. A polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth

2. Consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Alaska (United States), Canada, Finland, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden

3. Land within the Arctic region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover

🔹 Commercial Importance:

1. Abundant Resources

2. Commercial Navigation: The Northern Sea Route (NSR)

3. Oil and Natural Gas Deposits

🔹Ecological Impact of Warming on Arctic:

1. Rising Sea Levels

2. Deterioration of Tundra

3. Threat to Biodiversity

4. Extinction of Indigenous Cultures