New Delhi: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved ‘Samudra Manthan’ – the National Offshore Exploration Scheme, with an outlay of ₹84,084 crore for implementation up to 2030-31, aiming to unlock India’s offshore oil and gas potential and strengthen the country’s long-term energy security.
The Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is designed to accelerate offshore exploration and production while promoting indigenous technology, infrastructure and manufacturing under the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.
According to the government, the scheme includes large-scale acquisition, processing and interpretation of high-quality seismic data, accelerated exploration in deepwater and ultra-deepwater regions, scientific drilling in frontier basins, development of common offshore production and evacuation infrastructure, and the establishment of an integrated Oil and Gas Manufacturing and Services Zone.
The programme also provides for digital project management, capacity building, adoption of advanced technologies, stakeholder engagement and international collaboration to create a comprehensive ecosystem for offshore exploration.
The Centre expects Samudra Manthan to help discover more than 600 Million Metric Tons of Oil Equivalent (MMTOE) in hydrocarbon reserves, significantly increase domestic oil and gas production, generate large-scale employment and attract substantial investments across the exploration and production value chain.
The government said the initiative builds on a series of upstream sector reforms introduced over the past decade, including opening nearly the entire offshore acreage for exploration, modernising the legislative and contractual framework, and strengthening the National Data Repository.
Describing the initiative as a transformational step, the government said Samudra Manthan will enhance India’s energy security, strengthen technological capabilities and contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat by creating a globally competitive offshore energy ecosystem.
