Union Cabinet approved the Samudra Manthan
National Offshore Exploration Scheme
¨
Union Cabinet approved
the Samudra Manthan National Offshore Exploration Scheme on 31 July 2026.
¨
The scheme is a Central
Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
¨
A total financial outlay
of ₹84,084 crore has been approved for the scheme up to the financial year
2030-31.
¨
The objective of the
scheme is to expand offshore oil and gas exploration in India’s sedimentary
basins.
¨
The scheme aims to
achieve reserve accretion of more than 600 Million Metric Tons of Oil
Equivalent (MMToE).
¨
It focuses on seismic
surveys, deepwater drilling, offshore infrastructure development, and oil and
gas manufacturing and service zones.
¨
An allocation of ₹28,534
crore has been made for modern offshore seismic data acquisition and
processing.
¨
An amount of ₹43,200
crore has been allocated for drilling 60 deepwater exploration wells.
¨
₹10,000 crore has been
provided for the development of common offshore infrastructure hubs.
¨
₹2,000 crore has been
allocated for oil and gas manufacturing and services zones.
¨
Offshore seismic data
refers to geophysical information collected from the seabed and marine
sub-surface, which helps in identifying potential hydrocarbon reserves.
¨
Deepwater exploration
wells are wells drilled in offshore areas with high water depths, requiring
advanced technology and specialised drilling rigs.
¨ The scheme is an important step towards strengthening India’s energy security, increasing domestic oil and gas production, and reducing dependence on imports.
¨ It is expected to promote investment, employment generation, technological advancement, and domestic manufacturing capacity in the offshore energy sector.
