Why PM's goal on raising oil and gas production will be unattained in 2022

Modi aimed at lowering it by at least 10 per cent by 2022 - to coincide with the platinum jubilee of India's independence

India’s dependence on impo­rted crude oil to meet dom­estic demand has been a matter of concern for years. Delivering the inaugural add­ress at the global energy summit — Urja Sangam — in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for enhancing dom­estic oil and gas production to cut the import burden. He aimed at lowering it by at least 10 per cent by 2022 — to coincide with the platinum jubilee of India’s independence.

But this target is far from be­ing achieved and the count­ry’s import reliance has only risen. “India is dependent on im­ports to meet 77 per cent