According to an article (http://goo.gl/fHdZ7g) in the Business standards, October 7th, 2013 India is on the path of being a self sufficient Nation. The article states that India will achieve Oil and Natural Gas self-sufficiency by the year 2030. The plan for the same is said to be ‘in the making’ by the Vijay Kelkar Committee appointed by the Indian government.
As per the respective plan, 2020 will see a fall in the dependence on imported oil to at least 50%. Another 5 years would pull it down to 75% following which, 2030 would be the year of self-sufficiency for India. As per the same article, M Veerappa Moily (Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister) said “We have huge deposits of oil and gas in the country. But we need more private sector players to come forward and invest in new oil and gas exploration blocks. It costs Rs. 7 crores to dig a well and not many are ready to invest in the sector.”
This declaration of making the nation independent followed the announcement of 2 pilot projects by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The projects were aimed at allowing a LPG consumer to choose their distributor freely. Additionally 5 kg Gas cylinders were made available to select distributors (for the time being) at market price with minimum documentation. 24 cities have seen the launch of this ‘Inter Company LPG Portability Scheme’ and it shall spread to the rest of the country soon.
This is indeed a very optimistic move towards a better Nation. Tomorrow is naturally yours!