Important for GS Prelims — Economy
About Samudra Manthan
Samudra Manthan — the National Offshore Exploration Scheme — is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by the Honourable PM. It operationalises the vision of a “modern-day Samudra Manthan” first articulated from the Red Fort on Independence Day 2025 to unlock India’s offshore energy potential and advance the Viksit Bharat vision.
Key Facts
| Approved outlay | Rs. 84,084 crore |
| Implementation period | Up to FY 2030–31 |
| Nodal Ministry | Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas |
| Scheme type | Central Sector Scheme |
| Financial support | Up to Rs. 650 crore per exploratory well (deepwater/ultra-deepwater) |
| Expected outcome | Reserve accretion of over 600 Million Metric Tons of Oil Equivalent (MMTOE) |
| Operating area | Within India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) |
Key Features of Samudra Manthan
- Data acquisition: large-scale acquisition, processing and interpretation of high-quality seismic data.
- Exploration: accelerated deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploratory drilling and scientific drilling in frontier basins.
- Infrastructure: shared offshore production and evacuation infrastructure to bring new discoveries into production.
- Industrial ecosystem: integrated oil and gas manufacturing and services ecosystem under Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
- Enabling provisions: digital programme management, capacity building, technology adoption, stakeholder engagement, and international outreach.
Important Points
- National Deep Water Exploration Mission (announced at Red Fort, 2025) is the mission-mode announcement; Samudra Manthan is the subsequently Cabinet-approved, funded scheme translating it.
- National Data Repository (NDR), under DGH, is a pre-existing data infrastructure explicitly strengthened as part of the reforms underpinning this scheme — not a component created by it.
Policy & Regulatory Framework
- Builds on prior upstream reforms: opening nearly the entire offshore acreage for exploration, modernising the legislative and contractual framework, and strengthening the National Data Repository (NDR).
- Approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by the Honourable PM.
Conclusion
Samudra Manthan is a Rs. 84,084 crore Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, approved for implementation up to FY 2030–31, aimed at accelerating offshore hydrocarbon exploration within India’s EEZ.
| This concept has been elaborately discussed in the following article – Cabinet Approves ‘Samudra Manthan’ – National Offshore Exploration Scheme |