The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the ‘Samudra Manthan’ National Offshore Exploration Scheme on 31 July 2026. The Central Sector Scheme, under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has an outlay of ₹84,084 crore and will be implemented up to FY 2030–31.
The scheme aims to accelerate offshore oil and gas exploration, increase domestic production, strengthen India’s energy security, and promote advanced technologies in the upstream energy sector.
The government expects the scheme to help add more than 600 Million Metric Tonnes of Oil Equivalent (MMTOE) to India’s reserves and significantly expand offshore exploration and domestic crude oil and natural gas production.
Key Features
- Outlay: ₹84,084 crore
- Implementation: Up to FY 2030–31
- Focus: Offshore oil and natural gas exploration
- Large-scale acquisition and processing of high-quality seismic data
- Accelerated deepwater and ultra-deepwater drilling
- Scientific drilling in frontier basins
- Development of common offshore production and evacuation infrastructure
- Establishment of an integrated Oil and Gas Manufacturing and Services Zone
- Digital programme management, capacity building and technology adoption
- Promotion of international collaboration and stakeholder participation
