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Dakshin Gangotri: India's first Antarctic base
Why in News?
India's first Antarctic base is now buried under ice: the Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri, Bharati sequence Prelims tests
Film revisits India's first Antarctic base, Dakshin Gangotri.
Why it matters: asked in UPSC 2015; factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 min read
A film on the Dakshin Gangotri expedition has revived interest in how India set up its first scientific base on the frozen continent more than four decades ago.
Dakshin Gangotri was later followed by the research stations Maitri and Bharati.
India's Antarctic work is run by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research.
Sources: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
Key facts
Remember these
- Dakshin Gangotri was India's first scientific base in Antarctica, set up in the early 1980s (1983-84).
- It was followed by Maitri (1989) and Bharati (2012) as India's Antarctic research stations.
- Dakshin Gangotri was later abandoned as it got buried in ice; it was used as a supply base before closure.
- India's polar research is run by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa.
- Himadri at Svalbard is India's Arctic station, not an Antarctic one.
Prelims · Mains
How the exam will ask it
Prelims
- Statement: Dakshin Gangotri was India's first Antarctic research station, followed by Maitri and Bharati. (Correct)
- Statement: Himadri is an Indian research station in Antarctica. (Incorrect; it is in the Arctic, at Svalbard)
- Statement: India's Antarctic programme is coordinated by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Goa. (Correct)
Mains
GS3 Science and Technology: India's polar research presence supports climate, glaciology and oceanographic science and strengthens India's standing under the Antarctic Treaty System. Issue: sustaining year-round, scientifically productive stations amid logistical and climatic hardship; policy: NCPOR-led expeditions and the Indian Antarctic Act, 2022; implication: strategic and scientific voice in polar governance; way forward: deeper international collaboration, sustained funding and open data sharing.
PYQ connection
A question UPSC has already asked on this
The term 'IndARC', sometimes seen in the news, is the name of
- an indigenously developed radar system inducted into Indian Defence
- India's satellite to provide services to the countries of Indian Ocean Rim
- a scientific establishment set up by India in Antarctic region
- India's underwater observatory to scientifically study the Arctic region
Show answer
Answer: D
Why this matters: today's issue is directly connected to a concept UPSC has already tested. Read the story with this question in mind.
Practise this PYQ →Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
India's first scientific base in Antarctica, set up more than four decades ago, was:
- Maitri
- Bharati
- Himadri
- Dakshin Gangotri
Show answer
Answer: D — Correct: Dakshin Gangotri — Dakshin Gangotri was India's first Antarctic base, later followed by Maitri and Bharati. • Maitri — wrong: Maitri came after Dakshin Gangotri and became the second Indian station. • Bharati — wrong: Bharati is India's newer Antarctic research station, not the first. • Himadri — wrong: Himadri is India's research station in the Arctic (Svalbard), not Antarctica.
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