Harsh Vardhan asks corporates to join Antarctic expedition

Union minister Harsh Vardhan has appealed to corporates and "private parties" to join hands with government in Antarctic expedition to expand its scope.
"India has been successfully taking part in Antarctic expeditions. To make these expeditions more effective and to increase their scope, the people in corporate world and private parties should come forward to help government in (increasing) the scope," the minister for Earth Sciences said while addressing the 12th international symposium on the Antarctic Science here today.
"The government is working with limited resources and to improve the quality, quantity and scope of the research, I feel that private parties should collaborate, and I don't think government will have any reservations on it," he said.

India is among those few countries that has signed Antarctic treaty which has 29 countries as signatories.
"Any research is not monopoly of one sector, be it government or private sector. Whatever has to be done for the benefit of the people has to be done in collaboration with both government and private parties.
"If there are some private parties who want to be part of this research, collaborate with government then I don't think there would any reservation from any corner," Harsh Vardhan said.
He said Antarctic expedition is a continuous process and government is committed to this mission.

"The benefit of Antarctic expedition should be connected to people and the benefit should go to them," the minister added.