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.

Reports indicated that 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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