The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) has become the anchor of India’s polar and oceanic exploration, said Shri Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Hon'ble Governor of Goa, while speaking at the Antarctica Day celebrations at the NCPOR campus at Vasco-da-Gama today, December 1, 2025. Antarctica Day is celebrated worldwide to commemorate the signing of the Antarctica Treaty on 1 December 1959. The treaty designates Antarctica as a continent exclusively reserved for peace and scientific research.
“Goa is proud to be the home of such an institute. I assure you that the government of Goa will be fully committed to supporting your scientific vision in all your future endeavours,” the Governor added.
Shri Amitabh Singh, Chief Postmaster General, Maharashtra Circle, who presided over the function as the Guest of Honour, said that the Department of Post was proud to be part of the 25-year-journey of the NCPOR in scientific polar research. The special commemorative postage stamp on the Silver Jubilee of the NCPOR is a form of our commitment and support to the institution’s scientific endeavours, he said.
NCPOR Director Dr Thamban Meloth, during his welcome address, said that Government of India had granted in-principle approval for two major initiatives to support the institution’s polar exploration. “The Government of India has always had our back in all our endeavours. The in-principle approval for a new state-of-the-art research station named Maitri-II and the first indigenous ice-class research vessel is a testament of the government’s commitment to scientific research,” he said.
NCPOR has been at the forefront of leading India's scientific expeditions and research programmes in the Polar regions and the Southern Ocean. The institute has also established and operationalised permanent Indian research stations -- DakshinGangotri, Maitri, and Bharati in Antarctica, and Himadri in the Arctic, along with the Himalayan station Himansh.
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