The government today said that it is committed to ensuring that citizens do not face any inconvenience amid the evolving situation due to the West Asia crisis. Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing in New Delhi, Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Sujata Sharma, said that Domestic LPG supply remains normal across the country, and yesterday, cylinders were delivered to around 12 lakh more households. She noted that nearly 94% of deliveries are being completed using the Delivery Authentication Code (DAC). Ms Sharma underlined that commercial LPG supply stands at around 70%, and in April so far, more than 1.40 lakh tonnes of commercial LPG have been sold. She added that as of yesterday, approximately over 8 thousand 4 hundred tonnes of commercial LPG were sold. The secretary further mentioned that around 1.27 lakh 5-kg cylinders have been sold through the camps, organized by oil marketing companies. She said that from the first of this month, more than 17 lakh 5-kg cylinders have been sold, with around 86,000 sold just yesterday.
Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Mukesh Mangal, stated that in the past 24 hours, incidents of firing were reported on foreign-flagged vessels and said that no Indian vessel came under fire. He assured us that the Indian seafarers who were travelling in those vessels are safe. He added that the DigiShipping control room has handled over 7400 calls and nearly 15,000 emails since its activation, including 161 calls and 320 emails in the past 24 hours.
Additional Secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Assem R. Mahajan, said the Ministry continues to closely monitor developments in the West Asia region, with a focus on ensuring the safety, security, and welfare of the large Indian community there. Mr Mahajan added that the Ministry’s dedicated control room remains operational and is working in coordination with Indian missions to provide timely assistance and address queries. He said the Ministry is in constant touch with state governments and Union Territories for information sharing. He said Indian missions are actively engaging with the Indian community and are regularly interacting with associations, organisations, professional groups, and Indian companies in the region. He further added that the safety of Indian seafarers in the region is of high priority to the government. Mr Mahajan informed that around 12 lakh 12, 000 passengers have travelled from the region to India since February 28.
