RoydadNaft –  India would lose credibility if it is unable to make a big oil and gas discovery soon, said Pankaj Jain, secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, on Sunday.

Jain was addressing the 15th Biennial International Conference and Exposition of the Society of Petroleum Geophysicists (SPG-India) 2025 in Jaipur.

He added that the Centre recently introduced several legislative changes in the exploration space to support the industry.

The official was referring to the government approving the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act, 2025, opening up 99 per cent of no-go areas in the Indian waters for exploration and bidding rounds.

“It will become more and more difficult for us to make a case to believe in India and believe that India has the ability to discover something,” said Jain.

To boost production, India has been expediting exploration activities while also urging international oil companies to collaborate with domestic players for high-end technology.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Deepwater Exploration Mission in August 2025 aimed at discovering oil and gas reserves in the deep sea.

India has not witnessed a big oil and gas discovery since Mumbai High and Krishna Godavari, the official added.

The Mumbai High discovery was made in 1974, while Krishna Godavari was in the early 2000s.

The Indian government is banking on exploration activities currently in place in the Andaman Sea, expecting a “Guyana-like” discovery from the region.

India can no longer afford incremental progress in the exploration space as alternative forms of energy would matter more in the future to meet demand, said Jain.

Jain called for bold, time-bound exploration strategies aligned with the National Deepwater Mission, emphasising urgency, innovation, and national responsibility in realising India’s energy self-reliance.

Meanwhile, Oil and Natural Gas (ONGC) remains committed to advancing deepwater exploration mission, said Arun Kumar Singh, chairman & chief executive officer (CEO).

Technological breakthroughs in seismic imaging, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven interpretation, and data analytics would define the next leap in discovery success, added Singh.