The Government of India has extended the O-SMART scheme till 2026. The scheme primarily aims at
- (a)Outer Space Development Activities
- (b)Optical-Fibre Production R & D
- (c)Oxygen Plants in Smart Cities
- (d)Ocean Development Activities
Correct — D, Ocean Development Activities.
O-SMART stands for Ocean Services, Modelling, Application, Resources and Technology. It is the umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences for its ocean work, so the keyed option is Ocean Development Activities.
The 'till 2026' in the stem is the scheme's continuation for the period 2021-26, cleared at an overall cost of Rs 2,177 crore.
What the scheme does matches the option. It funds forecast and advisory services built on continuous ocean observation, technology for the marine domain, exploratory surveys for living and non-living ocean resources, and coastal research.
The idea to carry: decode the acronym before judging the options. The letter before the hyphen names the domain, and here it is Ocean.
- (a)Outer Space Development Activities — Space activity sits with the Department of Space. The body set up in 2020 to promote and authorise private space players is IN-SPACe, and a question on it or on the Indian Space Policy of 2023 would take this option.
O-SMART's institutes are marine bodies such as NIOT Chennai and INCOIS Hyderabad, and its 'O' is Ocean, not Outer space.
- (b)Optical-Fibre Production R & D — Optical fibre belongs to telecom. The national fibre-to-village programme is BharatNet, under the Department of Telecommunications, which lays optical fibre to gram panchayats.
O-SMART's seven published sub-schemes are ocean technology, ocean modelling and advisory services, ocean observation network, ocean non-living resources, marine living resources and ecology, coastal research, and research-vessel operation. Fibre production is not on that list.
- (c)Oxygen Plants in Smart Cities — This option stitches two 2021 headlines together. PSA oxygen plants were installed in hospitals in 2021, including 1,224 funded from the PM CARES Fund, while Smart Cities is a Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs mission launched in 2015.
In O-SMART the letters S-M-A-R-T are an acronym: Services, Modelling, Application, Resources, Technology. The everyday word 'smart' is not in the scheme's name.
An umbrella scheme bundles several related programmes under one budget line so they can be appraised and continued together. O-SMART is the Ministry of Earth Sciences' umbrella for its ocean work: services, modelling, applications, resources and technology.
Its seven sub-schemes run through five MoES institutes whose names say what they do: INCOIS (Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad), NIOT (Ocean Technology, Chennai), NCCR (Coastal Research, Chennai), CMLRE (Marine Living Resources and Ecology, Kochi) and NCPOR (Polar and Ocean Research, Goa).
Since 5 January 2024 O-SMART is one of five sub-schemes of PRITHVI (PRITHvi VIgyan), the overarching MoES scheme that covers atmosphere, ocean, polar, seismology and outreach work together.
Ocean services are public goods: potential fishing zone advisories, ocean state forecasts and tsunami warnings from INCOIS reach fishers, ports and coastal administrations. O-SMART is the budget that keeps the observation network and the models behind those services running.
The scheme sits inside a larger MoES architecture. On 5 January 2024 the Union Cabinet approved PRITHVI at Rs 4,797 crore for 2021-26, folding in O-SMART alongside ACROSS, PACER, SAGE and REACHOUT. The Deep Ocean Mission, approved in June 2021, was cleared separately with its own outlay.
- O-SMART expands to Ocean Services, Modelling, Application, Resources and Technology; it is an umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- Its continuation was approved for the period 2021-26 at an overall cost of Rs 2,177 crore.
- Its seven sub-schemes: Ocean Technology; Ocean Modelling and Advisory Services; Ocean Observation Network; Ocean Non-Living Resources; Marine Living Resources and Ecology; Coastal Research; Operation and Maintenance of Research Vessels.
- Implementing institutes are NIOT Chennai, INCOIS Hyderabad, NCPOR Goa, CMLRE Kochi and NCCR Chennai, supported by the ministry's fleet of research vessels.
- On 5 January 2024 the Union Cabinet approved PRITHVI (PRITHvi VIgyan), Rs 4,797 crore for 2021-26, with O-SMART as one of its five sub-schemes.
- PRITHVI's other four sub-schemes are ACROSS (atmosphere and climate), PACER (polar science and cryosphere), SAGE (seismology and geosciences) and REACHOUT (research, education, training and outreach).
- India's ocean development programme was institutionalised under the Department of Ocean Development (1981), upgraded to the Ministry of Ocean Development in 2006 and renamed the Ministry of Earth Sciences that year.
- The Deep Ocean Mission, approved in June 2021, was cleared as a separate Ministry of Earth Sciences mission with its own outlay.
Ministry of Earth Sciences umbrella scheme, continued for 2021-26 at Rs 2,177 crore; a PRITHVI sub-scheme since January 2024
- Reading SMART as the everyday adjective and sliding to Smart Cities; in O-SMART it is an acronym for Services, Modelling, Application, Resources and Technology.
- Mixing up the two MoES umbrella schemes: O-SMART is ocean, ACROSS is atmosphere and climate; each was continued for 2021-26 and each now sits under PRITHVI.
- Placing O-SMART under Ports, Shipping and Waterways or under Fisheries because the subject is the sea; the scheme belongs to the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- Treating the Deep Ocean Mission as a component of O-SMART; it was approved separately in June 2021 with its own outlay.
- A statement may call O-SMART an umbrella scheme (its 2021 approval) or a sub-scheme of PRITHVI (since January 2024); each is correct for its date, so read the year in the question.
The idea appears as an acronym-decoding item like this one, where a scheme's name is expanded or its sector is asked. It can also be set as ministry-matching: which ministry runs O-SMART, ACROSS or PRITHVI.
Statement sets can list its sub-schemes or implementing institutes and ask which are correct, or ask which programme is not a PRITHVI component. The period 2021-26 and the PRITHVI approval of January 2024 are the datable hooks.
CDS_GK_2021_I_Q152021Same device: a named scheme and the phrase 'aims at', settled by decoding the name (Saubhagya is Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, hence household electrification). The subject differs entirely: a Ministry of Power household-electrification scheme there, a Ministry of Earth Sciences ocean-science umbrella here. The shared element is the method, not any fact.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The O-SMART scheme is implemented by which of the following?
- (a)Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
- (b)Ministry of Earth Sciences
- (c)Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
- (d)Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Answerb — O-SMART is a scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, run through its institutes NIOT, INCOIS, NCPOR, CMLRE and NCCR.(a) handles ports, shipping and inland waterways, not ocean science. (c) runs fisheries welfare schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana. (d) handles environmental clearance and coastal regulation zone rules, not ocean observation and forecasting.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which one of the following is NOT among the five sub-schemes of the PRITHVI (PRITHvi VIgyan) scheme approved by the Union Cabinet in January 2024?
- (a)ACROSS
- (b)O-SMART
- (c)PACER
- (d)Deep Ocean Mission
Answerd — PRITHVI's five sub-schemes are ACROSS, O-SMART, PACER, SAGE and REACHOUT. The Deep Ocean Mission was approved separately in June 2021 and is not one of them.(a) ACROSS is the atmosphere and climate sub-scheme, (b) O-SMART the ocean sub-scheme and (c) PACER the polar and cryosphere sub-scheme; each is listed in the Cabinet approval.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Consider the following statements about the O-SMART scheme: 1. It was approved in 2021 as an umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences. 2. Its sub-schemes include Ocean Observation Network and Marine Living Resources and Ecology. 3. INCOIS, Hyderabad is one of its implementing institutes. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a)1 and 2 only
- (b)2 and 3 only
- (c)1 and 3 only
- (d)1, 2 and 3
Answerd — Each statement is correct. O-SMART was approved in 2021 as an MoES umbrella scheme; Ocean Observation Network and Marine Living Resources and Ecology are two of its seven sub-schemes; and INCOIS Hyderabad is named among its implementing institutes with NIOT, NCPOR, CMLRE and NCCR.Options (a), (b) and (c) each drop a true statement, so each fails.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences covers atmosphere and climate research, modelling, observing systems and services?
- (a)O-SMART
- (b)ACROSS
- (c)PACER
- (d)SAGE
Answerb — ACROSS expands to Atmosphere and Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems and Services.(a) O-SMART is the ocean scheme, (c) PACER covers polar science and cryosphere research, and (d) SAGE covers seismology and geosciences. The four are sister sub-schemes under PRITHVI, so the expansion of each name is the discriminator.