India is ramping up domestic crude oil exploration following severe supply disruptions caused by restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz (the critical Gulf waterway through which a large share of global oil flows) during the recent US-Iran conflict. Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced plans to open roughly 250,000 square kilometres of unexplored territory for bidding, backed by a $10 billion exploration programme, with deepwater drilling planned in areas including the environmentally sensitive Andaman and Nicobar archipelago in partnership with firms such as BP, Shell, and ExxonMobil. The push reflects India's vulnerability as the world's third-largest oil importer — domestic production currently meets just 10 per cent of its needs — and its determination to reduce that dependence as energy consumption grows at three times the global average rate.