Cabinet Approves ‘Samudra Manthan’ with ₹84,084 Crore Outlay

New Delhi, July 31, 2026: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved ‘Samudra Manthan’ – the National Offshore Exploration Scheme. The Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas carries an outlay of ₹84,084 crore and will be implemented up to the financial year 2030–31.

The initiative translates the Prime Minister’s vision, articulated from the Red Fort on Independence Day 2025, of a modern-day Samudra Manthan aimed at unlocking India’s vast offshore energy potential. It marks a significant step towards enhancing national energy security, accelerating domestic exploration and production, fostering technological leadership and advancing the goal of Viksit Bharat.

Samudra Manthan covers a wide range of interventions across the offshore exploration value chain. These include large-scale acquisition, processing and interpretation of high-quality seismic data; accelerated exploratory drilling in deepwater and ultra-deepwater areas; scientific drilling in frontier basins; development of common offshore production and evacuation infrastructure; and the establishment of an integrated Oil & Gas Manufacturing and Services Zone. The scheme also provides for digital programme management, capacity building, technology adoption, stakeholder engagement and international outreach to create a comprehensive ecosystem for faster offshore exploration and production.

The scheme is expected to catalyse reserve accretion of over 600 million metric tonnes of oil equivalent (MMTOE), significantly boost offshore exploration activity, raise domestic oil and gas output, generate large-scale employment, strengthen indigenous manufacturing under Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, and develop a globally competitive ecosystem for offshore technologies and services. It is also projected to attract substantial 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 introduced transformative reforms in the upstream sector, including opening nearly the entire offshore acreage for exploration, modernising the legislative and contractual framework, and strengthening the National Data Repository. Building on these measures, Samudra Manthan aims to usher in a new phase of accelerated offshore exploration through strategic public investment, advanced technologies and world-class infrastructure.

As India advances towards becoming a developed nation, the scheme represents a transformational national effort to unlock offshore energy resources, reinforce long-term energy security, deepen technological capabilities and generate enduring value for the economy and future generations.