PIB Tracker'Samudra Manthan': ₹84,084 crore to churn India's offshore energy
The Cabinet approved the National Offshore Exploration Scheme — a ₹84,084-crore central sector scheme spanning seismic data acquisition, deepwater and ultra-deepwater drilling, frontier-basin scientific drilling and shared offshore infrastructure — to cut India's crude import dependence.
What happened
- The Cabinet approved 'Samudra Manthan' — the National Offshore Exploration Scheme.
- Outlay: ₹84,084 crore, a Central Sector Scheme up to FY2030-31.
- It funds seismic data acquisition and deepwater/ultra-deepwater exploratory drilling.
- It adds frontier-basin scientific drilling and shared offshore production and evacuation infrastructure.
- It sets up an integrated Oil & Gas Manufacturing and Services Zone, realising the PM's Independence Day 2025 call.
For Prelims
- Samudra Manthan: the National Offshore Exploration Scheme — a Central Sector Scheme, outlay ₹84,084 crore to FY2030-31.
- Coverage: seismic data, deepwater/ultra-deepwater drilling, frontier basins, shared evacuation infrastructure, an Oil & Gas Manufacturing and Services Zone.
- Origin: the PM's Independence Day 2025 Red Fort call for a 'modern-day Samudra Manthan'.
- Reform backdrop: HELP, the Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP) and revenue sharing.
- 'No-Go' areas: about 99% of erstwhile offshore no-go zones have been opened for exploration.
- Why: India imports over 85% of its crude — offshore E&P is core to energy security.
For UPSC: A flagship energy item. Use it for energy security and import dependence, exploration-and-production reform (HELP/OALP/revenue sharing), the opening of offshore no-go areas, and the tension between hydrocarbon expansion and the energy transition.
What it is NOT: This is an exploration-and-infrastructure scheme, not a discovery — outlays fund seismic surveys and drilling, which may or may not yield commercially viable reserves.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.9 · GS3.1 · Linkage L2
Anchor
India churns its ocean for energy — the largest offshore exploration push yet.
Substantiation (data)
₹84,084 crore to FY2030-31 covering seismic acquisition, deepwater and ultra-deepwater drilling, frontier basins and a manufacturing and services zone.
Exemplification
It follows the opening of ~99% of offshore 'No-Go' areas and the first Mahanadi deepwater appraisal well spudded this month.
Problematisation
Offshore exploration is capital-intensive with uncertain success rates, and expanding hydrocarbons sits awkwardly beside net-zero-by-2070.
Way-forward
Pair exploration with strict environmental safeguards, sustain OALP-style transparency, and treat domestic gas as a transition fuel.
Position
Reducing import dependence is legitimate energy security — provided it is sequenced with, not against, the clean-energy transition.
Deploys into: Energy infrastructure + economy (GS3.9, GS3.1) · energy security and import dependence, E&P reform (HELP/OALP), and offshore exploration versus the energy transition.
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas · 2026-07-31 · PRID 2292445 · PIB source ↗