Current Affairs · Deep Ocean Mission

Read the following passage carefully and answer the question based on it: In 1870, the author Jules Verne imagined vast underwater mineral wealth through his fictional character Captain Nemo. At present, nations like India are moving towards exploring this hidden wealth to strengthen their economies. Various minerals such as copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, and rare earth elements are present on the ocean floors globally, which are essential for manufacturing high-tech products ranging from smart devices to pacemakers. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has approved India to explore polymetallic nodules in an area of 75,000 square kilometers in the Central Indian Ocean Basin. Estimates suggest that if extraction technology succeeds, the amount of these metals available in the deep ocean floors significantly exceeds the total reserves currently known on land. Statement: The total quantity of minerals and metals estimated to be available in the deep ocean basins is greater than the total reserves found on land.