August 18, 2026

Author - Shashvat Singh

Shashvat Singh is a Senior Research Fellow at the India Foundation.

Samudra Manthan: The Ocean India Is Finally Ready to Explore

The author argues that Samudra Manthan represents a mature, well-sequenced policy response to India's costly oil import dependence, building on a decade of regulatory reform by sharing deepwater drilling risk with private operators. He contends that if executed well, following the precedent set by Brazil and Guyana, the scheme could meaningfully boost India's energy security and domestic hydrocarbon production.