India’s Deep Ocean Mission — UPSC Prelims PYQ 2026

Which of the following statements with regard to India’s Deep Ocean Mission is/are correct?

It was launched by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India.
Matsya-6000 has been designed to carry 3 people for deep-sea exploration.
Samudrayaan is a project under this mission.

Select the answer using the code given below:

1 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 2 only
1, 2 and 3

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

Deep Ocean Mission was launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) with an aim to develop technologies for exploring and sustainably utilising the deep ocean’s living and non-living wealth.

Infographic outlining the key purpose pillars of India’s Deep Ocean Mission, including deep-sea exploration, marine biodiversity conservation, underwater technologies, climate services, desalination, renewable energy, and sustainable utilization of ocean resources.

Statement 2 is correct

The Ministry of Earth Sciences, through the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, is developing a manned submersible ‘Matsya 6000’, which aims to carry three people to a depth of 6000 meters in the ocean with a suite of scientific sensors for ocean exploration and observation. The manned submersible Matsya 6000 is likely to be realised by 2026.

Statement 3 is correct

India launched the Samudrayaan Project, under the umbrella of Deep Ocean Mission, to work on its first component of deep-sea exploration through a manned submersible.
Note: This is a good example of a UPSC question that can be solved quite easily through elimination and basic current affairs awareness. Here, UPSC has actually given aspirants ample space to apply elimination techniques intelligently. An aspirant who has regularly followed current affairs related to the Deep Ocean Mission would immediately recognise that Statement 1 is incorrect, as the mission was launched by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, not the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Once Statement 1 is eliminated, only the option containing Statements 2 and 3 remains. Questions of this nature often play a decisive role in clearing the cutoff because they are relatively straightforward for students with conceptual clarity and adequate current affairs coverage. These are the “low-hanging fruit” in the paper, and aspirants must learn to capitalise on such opportunities confidently rather than overcomplicating them.