Into the Blue: India plans underwater research lab to explore marine life

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

India is considering setting up an underwater biodiversity research lab to study the different kinds of flora and fauna on the seabed, and at varying depths, to explore their potential for human consumption.
The lab, part of the government's long-term vision of making India a developed nation by 2047, is being conceptualized under the Deep Ocean Mission and will be set up in the Indian Ocean. It seeks to make India a transnational and regional hub for marine biology and biotechnology research. A senior government official told ET that the underwater lab will be technologically one of the most advanced and will be used for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity. «The proposal is at a concept stage and several rounds of deliberation between key stakeholders will be held before it gets onto the drawing board,» the official quoted above said.

According to the official, the lab will be responsible for creating an inventory of deep-sea fauna and flora in the Indian Ocean through systematic sampling. The government is of the view that the deep-sea contains novel biomolecules of industrial and biomedical importance, and the exploration of deep-sea organisms, particularly microorganisms, will open up new frontier in drug discovery and development.