Cabinet approves Rs 84,084 crore 'Samudra Manthan' scheme to unlock offshore oil, gas exploration
Samudra Manthan scheme aims to unlock India's vast offshore energy potential and marks a landmark step towards strengthening the country's energy security
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved 'Samudra Manthan' – the National Offshore Exploration Scheme, a central sector scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, with an approved outlay of Rs 84,084 crore for implementation up to FY 2030–31.
The scheme aims to unlock India's vast offshore energy potential. It marks a landmark step towards strengthening the country's energy security, accelerating domestic exploration and production, promoting technological leadership, and advancing the vision of Viksit Bharat.
It encompasses a comprehensive set of interventions across the offshore exploration value chain. The scheme provides for the large-scale acquisition, processing, and interpretation of high-quality seismic data; accelerated deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploratory drilling; and scientific drilling in frontier basins.
In addition, it provides for the development of common offshore production and evacuation infrastructure, as well as the establishment of an integrated Oil & Gas Manufacturing and Services Zone.
The scheme also includes dedicated provisions for digital programme management, capacity building, technology adoption, stakeholder engagement, and international outreach, creating an integrated ecosystem to accelerate offshore exploration and production in the country.
Samudra Manthan is expected to catalyse reserve accretion of over 600 million metric tons of oil equivalent (MMTOE), substantially increase offshore exploration activity, promote higher domestic oil and gas production, generate large-scale employment, strengthen indigenous manufacturing under Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, and foster a globally competitive ecosystem for offshore technologies and services.
Furthermore, the scheme is expected to stimulate significant investments across the exploration and production value chain, creating long-term opportunities for industry, innovation, and economic growth.
Over the past decade, the government has undertaken transformative reforms across the upstream sector, including opening almost the entire offshore acreage for exploration, modernising the legislative and contractual framework, and strengthening the National Data Repository.
