Overview:

• The Ministry of Earth Sciences has piloted the Indian Antarctica Bill.
• This bill is expected to help fulfill the nation’s obligations under the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources of 1982, the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, and 1998s Treaty of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic.
• This bill is going to be introduced in the Budget Session of the Parliament which is ongoing.
• India’s Antarctic program began in the year 1981 and since then 40 scientific expeditions have been completed.
• India has also built three bases on the continent.

India’s base stations in Antarctica

As of now, India has two fully functioning base stations in Antarctica named Maitri which was established in 1988, and Bharati which was established in 2012. Another one named Dakshin Gangotri was established in 1983 but it is not functional currently.

There are plans to establish another base that will be replacing Maitri as it has outlived its longevity period. The Maitri base needs to be replaced as quickly as possible as it is compromised and even international committees have said that it is no longer environment friendly.