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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Huge potential for oil, gas exploration in Andaman & Nicobar offshore areas: Govt
New Delhi: India has witnessed a spurt in oil and gas exploration, particularly in offshore areas, and among these, the opening up of nearly 1 million sq km of erstwhile 'No-Go' offshore areas for exploration in 2022 has opened vast new frontiers, especially in deepwater and frontier regions like the Andaman-Nicobar (AN) offshore basin, the ministry of petroleum and natural gas told Rajya Sabha on Monday. Hardeep Singh Puri, minister of petroleum and natural gas. (File Photo) Hardeep Singh Puri, minister of petroleum and natural gas, said the bold policy move to open 'No-Go' areas has facilitated unprecedented access for exploration and is a key enabler of the recent momentum in offshore activity. He was responding to questions by John Brittas, CPIM member of Parliament (MP) on 1. details of the recent claims regarding significant offshore oil and gas discoveries in the country, including near the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, specifying the location and estimated reserve found; 2. whether these claims have been independently verified; and 3. timeline and plan for their commercial exploitation to reduce country's import dependence while ensuring environmental safeguards? 'Since 2015, Exploration and Production (E&P) companies operating in India have reported 172 hydrocarbon discoveries, including 62 in offshore areas. Geologically, the A&N basin lies at the intersection of the Andaman and Nicobar Basins, part of the Bengal-Arakan sedimentary system. The tectonic setting at the boundary of the Indian and Burmese plates has created numerous stratigraphic traps conducive to hydrocarbon accumulation. The basin's geological promise is further amplified by its proximity to proven petroleum systems in Myanmar and North Sumatra,' Singh said, adding that global interest in the A&N basin has been rekindled following significant gas discoveries in South Andaman offshore Indonesia, highlighting geological continuity across this region. While geology is favourable, the real breakthrough has come from the opening up of the region and the implementation of a new exploration strategy, which includes--Aggressive seismic acquisition, Initiation of stratigraphic and exploratory drilling, and increased engagement with international players, many of whom have shown interest in partnering for exploration in the newly accessible frontier blocks, he said in a written response. 'The Government through National Oil Companies have planned to drill four offshore stratigraphic wells, including one in the Andaman- Nicobar basin. These wells are designed to test key geological concepts, validate petroleum systems, and help de-risk future exploration,' the response said. Further, ONGC and OIL have embarked on an ambitious exploration campaign in the Andaman ultra-deepwater region where they have planned to drill deepwater exploration wells reaching depths of 5,000 metres, which has never been done in the past. 'A wildcat well (ANDW-7), drilled in one of these blocks targeting carbonate plays, has provided crucial geological insights, including signs of light crude and condensate in cutting samples, heavy hydrocarbons such as C 5 neo-pentane in trip gases, and the presence of suitable reservoir facies. These findings indicate, for the first time, the existence of an active thermogenic petroleum system in the East Andaman Back Arc region, comparable to those in Myanmar and North Sumatra. While commercial accumulations are yet to be confirmed, the ongoing campaign has successfully established a working petroleum system and has laid the foundation for more focused exploration ahead,' Singh said. To ensure environmental safeguards, exploration activities can only commence after due clearance under the EIA Notification, 2006 (as amended). The EIA process involves scientific assessment, stakeholder consultation (including with local communities and fisherfolk), and clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). Only upon securing these clearances, can companies begin operations, with all mandated safeguards in place, the response said. Apart from oil and gas exploration, HT has reported that the ministry of mines has auctioned 13 offshore blocks including three in Kerala for construction sand; three in Gujarat for limemud ; and seven in Great Nicobar for polymetallic nodules and crusts. HT reported on April 4 that the Union environment ministry and the department of fisheries have approved offshore mining blocks, including seven off the coast of Great Nicobar. HT has also reported that several infrastructure and tourism projects are coming up in Andaman and Nicobar. The Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project has four major components: an International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICCT); an international airport; a power plant; and a township. There is also a Trunk Infrastructure Road that will cut through Great Nicobar Island. The total cost is estimated at ₹81,800 crore. The Nicobar Islands fall in the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot and cover the western half of the Indonesian archipelago.
Mint
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Hari Hara Veera Mallu controversy: Pawan Kalyan addresses HHVM boycott calls, ‘Please, go ahead'
Hari Hara Veera Mallu (HHVM), a historical epic by Krish and Jyothi Krisna, was released in theatres on July 25, with paid premieres on July 22. Starring Pawan Kalyan, Nidhhi Agerwal and Bobby Deol, it got mixed reviews but opened with a strong box office collection. However, since the premiere, hashtags like #BoycottHHVM and #DisasterHHVM trended online. At a success meet in Hyderabad, Pawan Kalyan addressed the negativity. The Deputy CM of Andhra Pradesh asked, 'Is this a Quit India movement?' 'I've been seeing negativity around Hari Hara Veera Mallu and boycott calls for the film. Please, go ahead,' he said. 'I come from a small place in Nellore. It's great that I am where I am today. I don't know my worth. However, the confirmation of my success comes from people when they want to boycott my films,' he added. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has strongly opposed Hari Hara Veera Mallu. According to the political party, Pawan Kalyan's movie spreads anti-Muslim ideas using a made-up story. CPIM State Secretary Srinivasa Rao said no such person existed in history. Rao blamed actor Pawan Kalyan for sharing fake tales instead of facts. The party wants cinemas to clearly say the film is fiction. Nevertheless, the movie already has a disclaimer that it is fictional. Hari Hara Veera Mallu started strong at the Indian box office on July 23. It was powered by Pawan Kalyan's solid fan base. Even though the film got poor to mixed reviews, it set a new record for his best opening day ever, beating Vakeel Saab from 2021. Advance bookings were huge. Premiere shows alone brought in ₹ 12.7 crore. The total box office collection on Day 1 reached around ₹ 45 crore, according to Great Andhra. However, other reports claim that the Telugu movie opened with ₹ 60 crore. If true, it puts HHVM right at the top of this year's Telugu box office after Gamechanger. As per Sacnilk, the Ram Charan starrer minted ₹ 61.1 crore on Day 1. Meanwhile, HHVM shows were packed in the morning on Day 1. Afternoon and evening saw a drop. However, night shows again brought in big numbers, the publication added.
BBC News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
VS Achuthanandan: Thousands pay tribute to veteran Indian communist leader
Thousands are paying their respects to veteran Indian communist leader VS Achuthanandan whose funeral will be held on as he was popularly known, died on Monday at the age of 101. He was a founding member of India's largest communist party and a former chief minister of the southern state of of thousands of people have thronged the streets to pay tribute to the politician, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Kerala's political to drop out of school as a child, Achuthanandan overcame grinding poverty and torture in police custody to become one of the state's most beloved leaders. He was being treated at a hospital in Thiruvananathapuram after suffering a cardiac arrest last month. His funeral will be held near his hometown in Alappuzha district with full state honours. "Fighting for the rights of the oppressed and the exploited was the guiding principle of his life," MA Baby, general secretary of Achuthanandan's party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M), wrote in tribute. He described the leader as "the epitome of struggle".Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, also from the CPI(M), called Achuthanandan a "limitless repository of inspiration and lessons".Apart from being Kerala's chief minister, Achuthanandan was the state's leader of opposition three times and a member of the CPI(M)'s Politburo for 23 popularity among Indian communists rivals only that of Jyoti Basu, the long-serving West Bengal chief minister and CPI(M) co-founder. But unlike the London-educated Basu, Achuthanandan came from humble roots and didn't finish school. While Basu shaped his legacy in power, Achuthanandan did so from the streets, championing people's issues as an opposition leader. Achuthanandan started working young after losing his mother at four and father at 11. As a teen in a coir factory, he joined the undivided Communist Party at 17 and began organising agricultural workers in Travancore in then British-ruled Antony, a former Kerala chief minister from the Congress party, said that as a school student in the 1960s, he would wait beside paddy fields to listen to Achuthanandan's speeches."Achuthanandan's life and struggles and the torture and beatings he endured in the vanguard of the communist agitations for bonded agriculture workers in Kuttanad are unequalled and historical," he was quoted as saying by The Hindu led a 1946 revolt against the state authorities, in which hundreds of communists were reportedly killed. He went underground, was later arrested, tortured in custody, and spent five years in jail. His work spanned labour rights, land rights, education, women's right, anti-corruption measures and environmental protection. A staunch communist, Achuthanandan wasn't afraid to defy his party - most notably when he met the widow of TP Chandrasekharan, murdered in 2012 by a gang that included former CPI(M) colleagues after he broke away to form his own public outcry forced the CPI(M) to reverse its attempts to sideline him in 2006 and 2011, Achuthanandan served as Kerala's chief minister (2006–2011) before retiring from public life following a 2019 stroke and living with his son in BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Times of Oman
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Former Kerala CM V S Achuthanandan dies at 101
Thiruvananthapuram: Veteran CPI(M) leader and former Kerala CM V S Achuthanandan passed away on Monday at the age of 101. He was undergoing treatment in a private hospital after a cardiac arrest. "We salute Comrade V.S. Achuthanandan--an architect of Kerala's progressive journey, a voice of the voiceless, and a lifelong champion of the working class," the CPIM said in a statement. "Red Salute to Comrade V S Achuthanandan! Veteran communist leader and Former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan passed away at the age of 101 on July 21. His life of struggle and unwavering dedication to the cause of the people will forever be an inspiration," it said. Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan was the Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. He was the longest-serving opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly, holding the position for 15 years. Achuthanandan was a founding member of the CPM. He served as the Secretary of the CPM Kerala State Committee from 1980 to 1992. He was the LDF convener between 1996 and 2000, and Leader of the Opposition in three separate terms--1992 to 1996, 2001 to 2006, and 2011 to 2016.
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- Climate
- The Hindu
Deficit rainfall hits kharif sowing in 11 mandals of Vizianagaram
Agriculture activity has been impacted in 11 out of 27 mandals of Vizianagaram district due to deficit rainfall during the ongoing kharif season. Farmers in Vangara, Regidi Amadalavalasa, Rajam, Bobbili, Ramabhadrapuram, Gajapathinagaram Garividi, Cheepurupalli and other mandals have been unable to begin sowing operations, with rainfall falling short of the seasonal averages. For instance, Vangara mandal received only 157 mm rainfall against the average rainfall of 162.2 mm, while Gantyada, received 140 mm compared to its normal 190.6 mm rainfall. Farmers who received water from Madduvalasa, Thatipudi and other reservoirs are relatively safe. However, in the absence of irrigation, a majority of farmers in the district, rely solely on the rains to irrigate their fields. The overall sowing activity in the district has dropped significantly. Normally, agriculture is taken up in 4.5 lakh acres, but this season it has been confined to around 2 lakh acres. Agriculture officials remain hopeful, citing the India Meteorological Department's forecast of additional rainfall for the district in the third week of July. CPIM leader Reddi Shankara Rao has urged the government to provide financial assistance to farmers who have been unable to begin sowing due to lack rainfall and irrigation facility. YSRCP leaders have sought ₹20,000 financial assistance for each farmer under the Rythu Bharosa scheme which was implemented during the tenure of former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy regime.
