PM Modi Asks Ministers to Ensure Uninterrupted Supply of Fuel, Gas, Fertilizers in High-Level Cabinet Meeting

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting at his residence with his top Cabinet officials to take stock of the country's fuel supply chain, as the West Asia war and the subsequent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has choked energy supplies across the world.

As per sources, the crucial meeting involving the top brass of the Narendra Modi government lasted for over three hours, in which the Prime Minister reviewed the status of petroleum, crude oil, gas, power and fertilizer sectors.

Sources also indicated that PM Modi has issued specific directives to his Ministers and issued instructions to ensure uninterrupted supply across the country. Emphasis has been laid on timely delivery as far as logistics and distribution is concerned, they said.

In the meeting, the Cabinet Secretary gave a detailed presentation on the global situation and the mitigating measures taken so far by all the Ministries across all sectors like agriculture, fertilisers, food security, petroleum, power, MSMEs, exporters, shipping, trade, finance, supply chains, to combat the situation.

The meeting also focused on farmers and their fertilizer needs, including alternate sources of fertilisers, and steps taken by the government to ensure timely availability and food security. 

In the meeting, it was also discussed that in order to ensure no shortage of electricity, there should be an adequate supply of coal stocks at power plants. Several measures to diversify sources of imports required by chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals and other industrial sectors, were discussed. It was also decided that new export destinations to promote Indian goods will be developed.

Here's What PM Modi Said

PM Modi directed that a group of ministers and secretaries be created who would work in a whole-of-government approach. He also instructed all groups to work in consultation with all stakeholders.

The Prime Minister said that amid the evolving nature of the conflict, all efforts should be focused on safeguarding the citizens from its impact. PM Modi also called for coordination with the state governments to ensure that there are no cases of black-marketing and hoarding of essential commodities.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, which is touted as the country's top decision-making body as far as strategic affairs are concerned.

The War in West Asia

Meanwhile, the West Asia war entered its fourth week, disrupting trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz. The war broke out as US and Israel killed 86-year-old Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint military strikes on February 28.

Iran targeted Israeli and US assets across several Gulf countries, causing further disruptions to the waterway and impacting international energy markets as well as global economic stability. The prices of industrial diesel have also increased by 25 per cent from Rs 87.67/ltr to Rs 109.59/ltr.

How's The Cargo Situation for India

Earlier on Sunday, a cargo ship carrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) from Texas, United States, arrived at the New Mangalore Port in Mangaluru. On Friday, the Shipping Ministry shared that the New Mangalore Port has waived cargo-related charges for crude oil and LPG from March 14 to 31. It also said that there is no congestion reported at any port.

Special Secretary of the Shipping Ministry, Rajesh Kumar Sinha said in an interministerial briefing that all 22 Indian ships and 611 sailors are safe in the Persian Gulf region amid the West Asia conflict. 

"There has been no report of any maritime incident in the last 24 hours. All our 22 ships and 611 Indian sailors in the Persian Gulf region are safe, and we are continuously monitoring them... There is no congestion in any port...New Mangalore Port has issued a circular for waiver of all cargo-related charges for crude and LPG, which is valid from 14 March to 31 March," the Shipping Ministry official said.

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