(a) whether the Government proposes to continue scientific expedition to Antarctica; and
(b) if so, the details in this regard, the scheduled date of next expedition and purpose thereof ?
(a) whether the Government proposes to continue scientific expedition to Antarctica; and
(b) if so, the details in this regard, the scheduled date of next expedition and purpose thereof ?
THE MINISTER OF STATE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (SHRI BACHI SINGH RAWAT)
(a) & (b) Yes sir. The next Indian Scientific Expedition, which will be the 22nd in succession, to Antarctica is proposed to be launched from Cape Town, South Africa by the first week of January, 2003. The summer component of the expedition will return to India by the end of March, 2003 and the winter component in the end of March, 2004. The purpose of the expedition is to conduct experiments in the fields of earth sciences & glaciology, global change processes, meteorology & atmospheric sciences, environmental sciences, biological science, human physiology & medicine and engineering & communication sciences.