Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting in the national capital to review the situation related to petroleum, crude, gas, power and fertiliser sectors amid the evolving West Asia conflict.
The meeting focused on ensuring uninterrupted supply, stable logistics and efficient distribution of essential resources across the country. Senior ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Health Minister JP Nadda, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, attended the meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence.
The government said it is taking proactive steps to safeguard energy security and maintain adequate availability, while continuously monitoring global developments to protect consumer and industry interests.
As part of immediate measures, the government has increased commercial LPG allocation to states, prioritising key sectors such as educational institutions and hospitals. States have also been advised to facilitate new PNG connections for both domestic and commercial consumers.
Authorities are continuing raids across states and Union Territories to curb LPG hoarding and black marketing.
Officials said port operations across India remain normal with no congestion reported. In a boost to supplies, a cargo ship carrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) from Texas in the United States arrived at the New Mangalore Port in Mangaluru. Earlier, the Shipping Ministry had announced that the port has waived cargo-related charges for crude oil and LPG from March 14 to March 31.
In an inter-ministerial briefing, Shipping Ministry Special Secretary Rajesh Kumar Sinha said all 22 Indian ships and 611 sailors in the Persian Gulf region are safe, with no maritime incidents reported in the last 24 hours. He added that authorities are continuously monitoring the situation.
The review comes as the West Asia conflict has entered its fourth week, disrupting trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions escalated after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, in joint military strikes by the United States and Israel on February 28.
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In retaliation, Iran targeted Israeli and US assets across several Gulf countries, further disrupting the key waterway and impacting international energy markets and global economic stability.
Amid the crisis, prices of industrial diesel have risen by 25 per cent, increasing from Rs 87.67 per litre to Rs 109.59 per litre.
The government reiterated that developments in the Gulf and West Asia are being closely monitored, with the safety of the Indian community remaining a top priority.
Source: India Today