Padma Shri Dr. Rabi Narayan Bastia, is a reputed personality in the Hydrocarbon Industry whose endeavors have put India into international oil & gas map in a very short span of time. He has been at the forefront of a number of oil and gas discoveries (including Mahanadi and Cauvery) as well as pioneered in the implementation of several cutting-edge technologies in Indian oil & gas fields during his career span.During his tenure in Reliance, he has been the key man behind the largest gas discovery of KG Basin in 2002, for which government of India conferred him with Padma Shri. After heading the exploration group of Reliance for more than 16 years he has currently taken up some distinguished and challenging international and domestic assignments. He is a postgraduate in Petroleum Exploration from Norwegian Technological University, Norway and obtained his Doctoral degree in Geology from IIT, Kharagpur.

He has been awarded D. Sc for the first time in the field of Petroleum research in India from ISMU, Dhanbad which was highly applauded by Alberta University, Canada & Oklahoma University, USA. He has been serving the Indian petroleum industry for about 3 decades in different capacities with distinction.