‘Samudra Manthan’: What’s India’s National Deep Water Exploration Mission and how offshore oil and gas can cut India’s import dependence

India has launched a renewed push to tap oil and gas resources hidden deep beneath the seas as it looks to reduce its heavy dependence on energy imports. The National Deep Water Exploration Mission, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the last Independence Day, places offshore and ultra-deepwater drilling at the centre of the country’s long-term energy security strategy, even as India continues to expand clean and renewable energy capacity.