# Parliament panel questions Rs 1.7 lakh crore oil spend as output falls 2026-08-13T05:42:35+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A parliamentary committee has questioned why India’s rising capital expenditure in oil and gas is not boosting domestic production, noting crude output is expected to fall to 28.7 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2024-25 from 34.2 MMT in 2018-19. Capital expenditure by petroleum PSUs rose from Rs 1.3 lakh crore in 2020-21 to a projected Rs 1.7 lakh crore in 2024-25, the committee on public undertakings said in an action taken report tabled in Parliament on Thursday. The panel has asked the petroleum ministry to explain how recent exploration reforms and newly awarded blocks will raise production. It described the ministry’s earlier reply as interim and sought a comprehensive report with clear performance benchmarks. The ministry cited 38 offshore blocks awarded under OALP Rounds VIII and IX, nearly 1 million sq km of no-go areas opened for exploration, and the Rs 84,000 crore Samudra Manthan deepwater scheme. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: energy security, exploration, oil and gas, parliament committee, PIB reportage filtered: yes – no PIB source but governance committee is Indian govt body, so category governance works., public sector Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/parliament-panel-questions-rs-1-7-lakh-crore-oil-spend-as-output-falls/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/parliament-panel-questions-rs-1-7-lakh-crore-oil-spend-as-output-falls/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.