Know your Ministry - No. 46 - Petroleum and Natural Gas

The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas is concerned with exploration and production of Oil & Natural Gas, refining, distribution and marketing, import, export and conservation of petroleum products. Oil and Gas being the important import for our economy, many initiatives have been taken by the Ministry for increasing production and exploitation of all domestic petroleum resources to address the priorities like Energy Access, Energy Efficiency, Energy Sustainability and Energy Security. Following initiatives have been taken up by the Ministry:-

• Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy.
• National Data Repository.
• Discovered Small Field Policy.
• 2D Seismic Survey.
• Natural Gas Grid and City Gas Distribution.
• Refineries and Auto Fuel Vision and Policy.
• Implementation of BS-IV & BS-VI.
• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and PAHAL.
• Gram Swaraj Abhiyan and Extended Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan.
• Direct Benefit Transfer Kerosene.
• National Policy on Biofuels 2018.
• Compressed Bio Gas Plants.
• Neighbourhood First Policy.

TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES ALLOCATED TO THE MINISTRY

• Exploration for, and exploitation of petroleum resources, including natural gas and Coal Bed Methane, gas hydrates and shale gas.
• Production, supply, distribution, marketing and pricing of petroleum, including natural gas, Coal Bed Methane and petroleum products.
• Oil refineries, including Lube Plants.
• Addities for petroleum and petroleum products.
• Blending and blending prescriptions for bio-fuels including laying down the standards for such blending.
• Marketing, distribution and retailing of bio-fuels and its blended products.
• Oerall coordination concerning bio-fuels, National Policy on Bio-fuels, policy/scheme for supporting manufacturing of bio-fuels, setting up of a National Bio-fuel Development Board and strengthening the existing institutional mechanism and research, development and demonstration on transport, stationary and other applications of biofuels.
• Lube Blending and greases
• Conseration of Petroleum products.
• Planning, deelopment, control and assistance to all industries.
• Strengthening energy security by acquiring oil and gas equity abroad and participation in transnational oil and gas pipeline projects.
• Planning, development and regulation of oilfield services.
• Creation and administration of strategic petroleum resere through Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL).
• Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC).
• All attached or subordinate offices or other organization concerned with any of the subjects specified in the list, including Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), Centre for High Technology (CHT), Oil Industry Deelopment Board (OIDB), Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), etc. Administration of Engineers India Limited, including their subsidiaries and joint ventures
• Public sector project falling under the subject included in this list except such projects which are specifically allotted to any other Ministry / Department.

PUBLIC SECTOR UNDERTAKINGS - Balmer Lawrie & Co. Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Biecco Lawrie Co. Limited, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited, Engineers India Limited, Gas Authority of India Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Numaligarh Refinery Limited, Oil India Limited and  Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited.

SUBSIDIARIES:  Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited, Centre For High Technology , Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Oil Industry Development Board, Oil Industry Safety Directorate, O.N.G.C. Videsh Ltd, Petroleum Conservation Research Association, Petroleum Planning And Analysis Cell, Petroleum Federation of India (PetroFed),  Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board and International Co-operation.

ASSETS ABROAD - Pipelines Projects and E&P Activities.

AGREEMENTS - Current Protocols-IRAQ, Current MOUs with Turkmenistan, Syria, Sudan, Qatar, Paris, Iran, Indonesia, Japan, Columbia, Iraq, Liberia and Canada.

EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION – Important processes & activities, Policies & Guidelines, Orders, Notifications, Investment Opportunities & Digitalization Roadmap.

DOCUMENTS & REPORTS – Citizen Charter, Annual Reports, Annual Reports of Autonomous bodies under the Ministry, Reports related to the Ministry, Reports laid in the Parliament, Release of Advertisements in PSUs and Result Framework document.

KEY AGENDAS TO TAKE FORWARD

1. Ministry needs to publish and execute a clear cut Vision and Mission to reach out for a goal of Energy Self-sufficiency.
2. Need to explore alternate Energy resources from Non-conventional natural resources grown and cultivated just like invention of aviation fuel from Bamboo forests in Maharashtra.
3. Integration of different ministries that govern country’s energy sector like Petroleum, Natural Gas, Power, Coal, Renewable energy and Nuclear energy which are now managed by multitude Regulators.
4. Deployment of Business Intelligence tools and Analytics using a single data in a wholesome and integrated manner to study and evaluate the trend pattern of consumption of Energy resources by different sectors in the country’s landscape.
5. The proposed unified Ministry of Energy should formulate an integrated and wholesome energy policy in the current governance structure and legal framework.
6. Need for an integrated policy to ensure energy security, sustainability and accessibility so as to establish a competitive level playing field for the country to keep up with the global energy transition but also to continue to be a leader in adopting cleaner energy sources.
7. India's households don't have access to clean cooking fuel since they rely on firewood, coal, dung, and other unclean fuel sources for cooking. Cooking with these fuels is incredibly dangerous. Hence Ministry should attach top priority to bring and supply clean cooking fuel to our rural population.
8. Economic impacts and inflationary pressures on the population can be addressed if petroleum products are brought under the purview of GST framework. Government needs to explore its feasibility and economic viability.
9. To establish a robust Research and Development(R &D) infrastructure to study and evaluate  Environmental Impacts of Natural Gas that results in Global warming emissions, Air pollution, Land use and wildlife, Water use and pollution and Earthquakes engaging the bes of academicians and scientists in our country.
10. Lastly the Ministry should show results of its programmes and schemes towards achieving Energy Access, Energy Efficiency, Energy Sustainability and Energy Security.