India Starts Deepwater Drilling in Mahanadi Basin

India has started drilling its first deepwater appraisal well, called MN-DWN18-1-HD, in the Mahanadi Offshore Basin.

This is a big step towards making India more self-reliant in energy.

The government has been working on reforms for the past decade to improve exploration and production of oil and gas.

They have opened up almost all offshore areas for exploration and have made big investments in technology and data.

The goal is to find new resources and make the most of existing ones.

The minister said this is just the beginning of a new chapter for India's energy security.

The drilling campaign is part of the government's Samudra Manthan mission and is expected to boost domestic oil and gas production.