Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India has opened up almost its entire coastal waters for exploration as part of efforts to identify new mineral reserves. PM Modi during his Independence Day speech said most of these coastal areas have now been opened for exploration under the ‘Samudra Manthan’ initiative.India is currently the world’s third-largest consumer of crude oil, with an annual import bill of nearly $144 billion, equivalent to around Rs 13 lakh crore. Recent geopolitical conflicts that disrupted global oil and gas supplies have underscored the importance of increasing domestic production to meet the needs of the country’s fast-growing economy.
‘No-go’ to ‘Go Ahead’ for Samudra Manthan
To speed up offshore exploration, the government approved Samudra Manthan – the National Offshore Exploration Scheme on July 31, 2026. The scheme has been allocated Rs 84,084 crore for Phase I, covering the period up to FY2030-31, with the objective of accelerating hydrocarbon exploration and production across the country.Also Read | Samudra Manthan explained: How India’s offshore oil & gas exploration scheme can be a game-changerPM Modi said a “flawed” approach in the past had prevented offshore exploration and added that areas once designated as “no-go zones” have now been converted into “go-ahead areas.”Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort during the 80th Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, the Prime Minister said that nearly 99% of India’s coastal waters had earlier been classified as “no-go areas,” effectively ruling out offshore exploration. He described this as a “poverty of thought” and said the government had decided to change that approach.
What is Samudra Manthan scheme?
“We have now opened up those areas–previously off-limits–as “go-ahead areas,” and we are actively pursuing exploration and the discovery of new reserves beneath the sea. Last year, we announced the “Samudra Manthan” initiative to advance this effort, and recently, we decided to accelerate the work by allocating ₹85,000 crore for this purpose,” the Prime Minister said.India’s offshore sedimentary basins are believed to contain substantial untapped hydrocarbon reserves. These basins are natural geological depressions where oil and gas accumulate over time. Unlocking these resources will require advanced exploration technologies, dependable geological data, modern drilling infrastructure and a robust domestic supply chain.Also Check |PM Modi’s Independence Day Speech Live UpdatesThe Central government says a significant portion of India’s future oil and gas reserves is expected to come from offshore regions. The country’s eastern and western offshore basins include deepwater and ultra-deepwater zones extending to depths of nearly 3,000 metres. Together, these offshore areas are estimated to hold more than 5,600 MMTOE (Million Metric Tonnes of Oil Equivalent) of hydrocarbon resources.Emphasising the importance of energy security, PM Modi said India must focus on both alternative energy sources and more efficient use of energy.
