Here is another case of policy makers waking up when crisis is at hand: with the West Asia war choking the Strait of Hormuz, the Union Government is reportedly looking to tap deep-water oil.

So far, the government has awarded 105 Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) blocks under the revenue-sharing regime through five rounds of auction. Now the effort will be on collecting seismic data in unexplored deep-water and ultra-deep-water oil and gas blocks. The government will fund seismic data collection under the Samudra Manthan programme.

The exercise will reportedly be led by the upstream regulator, the Director General of Hydrocarbons. All this looks good in newspaper columns as it gives an impression that the Centre is doing something; in reality, however, this is not a very accurate perception. According to the California-based Global Energy Monitor, which develops and analyses data on energy infrastructure, resources and uses, the projects that began operating last year took an average 15.1 years to come online, compared with 4.9 years between 1960 and 1980. The longer timelines are because of a shift toward deeper, higher-pressure, and more technically complex reservoirs. Besides, offshore developments take around three years longer than onshore projects.

In other words, speeding up the process to tap deep-water oil will take years, whereas the problem the nation faces is immediate. For decades, India has been dependent on imports to meet its growing energy requirements. At present, we import more than 85 per cent of the crude oil requirements; for as long as one can remember, our dependence has been above 70 per cent. And yet, our political masters have done little to end or minimise this dependence, the Atmanirbhar Bharat rhetoric, notwithstanding. It is time for them to move beyond political posturing and do something fruitful.

The continued reliance on imports is not merely an economic concern but a strategic vulnerability. Every disruption in key transit routes or oil-producing regions translates into inflationary pressures, fiscal strain, and risks to energy access for millions. In such a scenario, reactive policymaking-triggered only when a crisis erupts-falls woefully short. What India needs is a multi-pronged approach that addresses both short-term vulnerabilities and long-term sustainability. In the near term, strengthening strategic petroleum reserves must become a priority, ensuring that the country has an adequate buffer that can effectively meet overnight supply shocks.

At the same time, diversifying import sources through proactive diplomacy can reduce overdependence on any single region. It becomes imperative that India should leverage its geopolitical relationships to secure stable and favourable energy partnerships. Equally critical is the need to accelerate the transition towards cleaner and more self-reliant energy systems.

While progress in renewable energy-particularly solar and wind-has been noteworthy, the pace must be ramped up significantly. Investments in grid infrastructure, storage technologies, and hybrid energy systems are essential to make renewables a dependable backbone of the energy mix. Additionally, promoting electric mobility, expanding biofuels, and advancing green hydrogen initiatives can collectively reduce the dominance of crude oil in the economy. Domestic policy reforms also have a crucial role to play. Encouraging private and foreign investment in exploration and production, simplifying