India will invest in technology to scour the ocean floor for minerals, including rare-earth minerals, science minister Ashwani Kumar said on 4 July in New Delhi, after a meeting to discuss the country's research priorities. India's National Institute ofrnOcean Technology in Chennai already has one ship that can launch submersibles for deep-sea mining in the Central Indian Ocean Basin, said Kumar; it will gain a second on 31 July, and two further ships are being constructed.
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