PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday discussed with a group of senior ministers the prevailing geo-political situation in West Asia and measures to keep supply chains uninterrupted despiteconflictssurrounding the Strait of Hormuz, the Black Sea, theRedSea,and theGulfofAden. The extended Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, was attended by permanent members, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister SJaishankar, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as well as special invitees, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister J P Nadda, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri, official sources said. It is understood that a comprehensive discussion was held regarding the ongoing global conflicts, their security implications, and the resulting disruptions to India’s imports and supply chains, most of which transit through these conflict zones. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chaired ameeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security to review the situation in the context of the ongoing West Asia conflict and measures taken by various Ministries and Departments. This was the 4th special CCS meeting on the issue,” a statement issuedby the Prime Minister’s office said. Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan briefed the CCS about the present geo-political situation and spoke about the initiatives takento ensure adequate supply of petroleum products, including LNG/LPG and fertilisers, it said.

 

The Cabinet Secretary told the CCS that sources for procurement of LPG have already been diversified and the overall stock and supply positions of major petroleum products remain adequate. Availability of adequate crude oil has enabled Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) refineries to operate at utilisation levels exceeding 100 per cent, ensuring continued production of petrol, diesel and other petroleum products. “During the meeting, requirements for the fertilisers for the ensuing Rabi season was assessed and alternative sources of fertilisers were also discussed. The Prime Minister said that all measures be taken for ensuring uninterrupted supply of fertilisers,” the statement said. The PM said all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens as well as the Indian diaspora from the impact of conflict. He said in order to ensure energy independence, emphasis should be laid on renewable energy sources, including solar energy and other non-fossil fuelbased sources. Modi said that a whole of Government approach should be adopted to tackle the challenges arising due to the crisis. He said that a unified coordinated mechanism should be put in place for regular monitoring of all the developments to ensure expeditious implementation of appropriate measures to safeguard the interests of the citizens, the statement said. The ministers gave presentations on their respective ministries and steps taken by them to ensure uninterrupted import of all goods, including petroleum, natural gas and fertilisers, they said. The PM is learnt to have given certain directions to the ministers to ensure the safety of Indians, India’s economic interests and find ways to the supply chain hinderance.