Naga extremist groups opposed to new agreement on oil exploration

ECONOMY – ENERGY

13 JUNE 2026

• The Working Committee of the Naga National Political Groups (WC-NNPGs), a conglomerate of seven extremist outfits, has opposed the 11 June 2026 agreement among the Centre, Assam and Nagaland to resume oil and gas exploration along the disputed border between the two States.
• Nagaland is estimated to have 600 million tonnes of oil and natural gas reserves.
• Exploration in the State, particularly along its resource-rich border with Assam, was halted in the 1990s due to extremism and opposition from local organisations.
• A memorandum of understanding was signed in New Delhi on Thursday to resume oil and gas exploration along the 512-km border shared by the two States.

Agreed Position

• The WC-NNPGs referred to the Agreed Position signed with the Centre in November 2017.

The Agreed Position was an agreement between New Delhi and the WC-NNPGs intended to pave the way for a permanent settlement of the “Indo-Naga” political issue.

• The conglomerate claimed that the disturbed area belt (DAB) was legally and historically part of the Naga homeland.
• It said there was no reason for Nagaland to share its oil revenue with Assam when Assam had not shared its oil revenue with Nagaland for decades.

Import dependence

• India is seeking to reduce imports by pushing for oil and gas exploration in about 1,000 sq. km of the DAB along the Assam-Nagaland border.
• The country imports crude oil and natural gas to meet more than 88% and 50% of its domestic requirements respectively.

Reserves in Assam

• “Since Assam alone accounts for nearly 22% of India’s crude oil reserves and around 15% of the country’s natural gas reserves, while Nagaland possesses significant hydrocarbon potential in the Naga-Schuppen Belt of the Assam-Arakan Basin, resources where hydrocarbons flow naturally and those which have huge untapped resources, the outlook for E&P [exploration and production] activities in the North East is therefore extremely promising,” Mr. Puri said on X.
• According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Assam-Nagaland agreement could help increase oil production in the Northeast tenfold from the current 1,000-1,500 barrels per day.