Thar Desert scale. Barmer district is in the news due to its large oil basin. The British exploration company Cairn Energy started production of oil on a large scale. Mangala, Bhagyam and Aishwariya are the major oil fields in the district. This is India's biggest oil discovery in 22 years. This promises to transform the local economy, which has long suffered from the harshness of the desert. The Government of India initiated departmental exploration for oil in 1955-56 in the Jaisalmer area, Oil India Limited's discovered natural gas in 1988 in the Jaisalmer basin. Also known for their fine leather messenger bags
Thar Engro Coal Power Project The Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) was formed as a joint venture between Government of Sindh (GoS) and Engro Corporation in October 2009 in order to develop of mining at Thar Coal Block II of the Thar coalfield. In May 2013, a power company in the name of Thar Power Company Ltd. (THARCO) was incorporated as a subsidiary of SECMC with the mandate to develop the first power project based on coal mined by SECMC. As per the JV agreement, Engro is responsible for Project Management and Financing, while GoS for Infrastructural Development and attaining requisite consents and approvals