New Delhi, Aug. 13 -- Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas has recommended that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas consider setting a minimum R&D expenditure benchmark for all oil public sector undertakings (PSUs), preferably as a percentage of their Profit Before Tax (PBT), amid the need to strengthen indigenous technology and support India's energy transition.

The recommendation comes as major oil and gas PSUs together spent about 2.16 per cent of their combined Profit After Tax (PAT) on research and development (R&D) in 2025-26, with significant variations across individual companies.

The committee noted that major oil PSUs spent Rs 2,796 crore on R&D against a combined PAT of Rs 1,29,164.5 crore in FY...