Pradhan dedicaes Bengal`s first oil & gas reserve to nation
Statesman, Delhi   21-Dec-2020

West Bengal found a place in the oil map of India as Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday dedicated an oil and gas producing field in North 24 Parganas district to the nation.

He said production from the petroleum reserve here, about 47 km from Kolkata, has started with extracted oil being sent to Haldia refinery of Indian Oil Corporation. The Ashoknagar field, which falls under the Mahanadi-Bengal-Andaman (MBA) basin, has been proved to be commercially viable, he said.

He said crude oil discovered at the Ashoknagar reserve is of high quality.He said commercial production from the oilfield will increase West Bengal’s revenue and create job opportunities in the state.

"The project would be a step towards our commitment to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call for reducing 10 per cent oil import by 2022," he said.