Consider the following statements: 1. The Global Ocean Commission grants licences for seabed exploration and mining in international waters. 2. India has received licences for seabed mineral exploration in international waters. 3. 'Rare earth minerals' are present on seafloor in international waters. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Answer: B. Statements 2 and 3 are correct; Statement 1 is wrong. Statement 1 is WRONG. The GLOBAL OCEAN COMMISSION (2013-16) was an INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL ADVOCACY BODY (chaired by Trevor Manuel, José María Figueres, David Miliband) that produced policy recommendations on high seas governance. It DID NOT GRANT LICENCES for any seabed activity. Seabed mineral exploration and mining licences in international waters are granted by the INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY (ISA), established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982 and headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica. Statement 2 is CORRECT. INDIA HAS RECEIVED ISA LICENCES FOR SEABED MINERAL EXPLORATION in international waters: - 1987 — India became the FIRST country to be granted Pioneer Investor status by ISA, with rights to explore POLYMETALLIC NODULES in the CENTRAL INDIAN OCEAN BASIN (75,000 sq km). - 2016 — ISA granted India exploration rights for POLYMETALLIC SULPHIDES along the CENTRAL INDIAN RIDGE and SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE. The Ministry of Earth Sciences (NIOT, NCPOR, NIO) leads India's deep-ocean mining research. Statement 3 is CORRECT. RARE EARTH ELEMENTS (REEs) ARE PRESENT ON THE OCEAN FLOOR in international waters, particularly in: - POLYMETALLIC NODULES (potato-sized concretions of manganese, nickel, copper, cobalt, with trace REEs) found on abyssal plains. - COBALT-RICH CRUSTS on seamounts. - DEEP-SEA MUDS (the 2011 discovery in the Pacific by Japanese scientists found high concentrations of yttrium, dysprosium and other heavy rare earths in clay sediments). Estimates suggest the seafloor holds rare earth reserves rivalling terrestrial deposits. Source: International Seabed Authority documents / Ministry of Earth Sciences 'Deep Ocean Mission' (approved 2021).