# PM Modi: 99% of Indian waters now open for exploration

2026-08-15T06:36:55+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that 99% of India's coastal waters, previously classified as 'no-go areas', have been redesignated as 'go-ahead zones' for deep-sea exploration. Speaking from the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, Modi called the earlier ban a 'poverty of thought' that had limited the country's resource potential. Modi cited the 'Samudra Manthan' initiative as the vehicle for this shift. The Union Cabinet approved the scheme on July 31 with a budget of Rs 84,084 crore for Phase I, aiming to accelerate hydrocarbon exploration and reduce India's dependence on crude oil imports, which cost nearly Rs 13 lakh crore annually. The government hopes to tap into an estimated 5,600 MMTOE of offshore resources.

## Coverage

- timesnownews.com <https://www.timesnownews.com/india/from-complacency-to-confidence-pm-modi-on-indias-shift-in-attitude-cites-sea-zone-example-article-155653739>
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/no-go-to-go-ahead-pm-modi-hails-samudra-manthan-for-deep-sea-exploration-in-independence-day-speech/articleshow/133255062.cms>
- hindustantimes.com <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/modi-lists-blue-green-economy-as-saptadhara-pushes-for-deep-sea-explorations-101786769160111.html>

Tags: India, Narendra Modi, Samudra Manthan
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