Question : Mapping of the Continental Shelf

(a) the details of progress achieved in past three years in mapping the continental shelf of India under Indian Continental Shelf Programme;

(b) whether the coastal States/UTs have been involved in the exercise of delineating and mapping the continental shelf close to their coastlines, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether any specific guidelines regarding conservation and protection of the continental shelf have been issued to the coastal States/UTs for incorporation in coastal planning programmes, if so, the details thereof,
if not, the reasons therefor;

(d) whether such guidelines are likely to be issued by the Government along with the detailed maps of the continental shelf, if so, the details thereof;

(e) the steps proposed to be taken by the Government to create nationwide awareness in every coastal States/UTs on the importance of mapping and sustainable planned utilization of Indian continental shelf and its mineral and biotic resources; and

(f) the details of post 2010 status if any of India''s submission to UN Commission on the limits of the Continental Shelf?

THE MINISTER FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND
MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES
(DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

(a) No additional mapping of the continental shelf was carried out in last three years under Indian Continental Shelf Programme.

(b) No Sir. The exercise of delineating and mapping the continental shelf is undertaken by National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, an autonomous institute under Ministry of Earth Sciences.

(c) No Sir. The continental shelf of India has not been defined so far.

(d) There is no proposal to issue any specific guidelines regarding conservation and protection of the continental shelf as continental shelf of India has not been defined so far.

(e) Does not arise since continental shelf of India is not yet defined.

(f) A sub-commission of the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) was constituted to examine India’s first partial submission pertaining to the west coast of India for an extended continental shelf beyond 200 M under the provisions of Article 76 of UNCLOS. During 14-18 October 2019, a delegation led by Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) made a presentation of India’s submission pertaining to the west coast of India before the sub-commission at the UN Headquarters, New York and offered clarifications on various scientific issues.