Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India has opened most of its coastal waters for exploration to discover new mineral and hydrocarbon reserves. He said areas that were earlier classified as “no-go” zones have now been opened for exploration as the government steps up efforts to improve the country’s energy security.
Addressing the nation from the Red Fort in New Delhi on the 80th Independence Day, Modi said the earlier approach had kept 99 per cent of India’s coastal waters outside the scope of offshore exploration.
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“Due to a flawed mindset, we had designated 99 percent of our coastal waters as ‘no-go areas,’ effectively deciding against offshore exploration. This was a poverty of thought. We decided that this could not continue,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister said the government has now opened these areas for exploration and is working to identify new reserves beneath the sea. The push is being taken forward under the Samudra Manthan initiative.
“We have now opened up those areas--previously off-limits--as ‘go-ahead areas,’ and we are actively pursuing exploration and the discovery of new reserves beneath the sea. Last year, we announced the ‘Samudra Manthan’ initiative to advance this effort, and recently, we decided to accelerate the work by allocating ₹85,000 crore for this purpose,” the Prime Minister said.
The Samudra Manthan – National Offshore Exploration Scheme was approved on July 31, 2026. According to the Central government, its first phase has an outlay of ₹84,084 crore up to FY 2030-31 and is aimed at increasing hydrocarbon exploration and production.
India’s offshore basins have significant untapped hydrocarbon potential. Developing these resources requires geological data, modern exploration methods, advanced drilling capabilities and a domestic supply chain.
The government estimates that India's eastern and western offshore basins, extending to water depths of up to 3,000 metres, hold more than 5,600 MMTOE, or Million Metric Tonnes of Oil Equivalent, of hydrocarbon potential.
The exploration programme also comes as India seeks to reduce its dependence on imported energy. India is the world's third-largest consumer of crude oil and has an annual crude oil import bill of nearly $144 billion, or about ₹13 lakh crore. Recent conflicts that disrupted oil and gas supplies have also increased the importance of domestic production for the economy.
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Modi also highlighted the expansion of India's energy infrastructure over the past 12 years. He said piped gas distribution, which was available in 70 cities before 2014, has now reached 700 cities.
“In these 12 years, we have expanded that reach to 700 cities. That is the pace of progress; that is the scale of expansion. Prior to 2014, piped gas reached barely 20 to 22 lakh households; today, we are delivering piped gas to 1.75 crore households,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also pointed to the growth in solar power as part of India's efforts to expand alternative energy sources and improve energy use. The country's solar capacity has increased from about 2 gigawatts to 160 gigawatts.
The government expects offshore exploration, higher domestic production and expansion of alternative energy sources to play a role in strengthening India's energy security and reducing its exposure to disruptions in global oil and gas supplies.
