Joint Secretary for the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Sujata Sharma has said that India is the fourth largest refiner in the world, which gives the country comfort in terms of availability of products like petrol and diesel. Addressing the Inter-Ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia in New Delhi today, she said that as of now, India’s LPG production has increased by 28 per cent following several government measures aimed at boosting domestic supply for household consumers.
She said that the country imports almost 60 per cent of LPG, and most of it comes from the Strait of Hormuz. She said that the government is making every effort to ensure that the supply to domestic consumers is ensured. She underlined that almost one lakh retail outlets are currently operating in the country, and the majority of these are with public sector oil marketing companies. Ms Sharma said that almost 50 lakh cylinders are delivered on a daily basis, and no dry-out has been reported on any of these retail outlets.
Talking about the steps the government is taking to ensure LPG supply to households, Ms Sharma said, the government is taking action on all fronts and as far as the supply is concerned, the government is putting in efforts and is trying to increase the domestic production of LPG. She said that alternate fuel options are also being activated to ease pressure on LPG and gas channels. She said, on a quarterly basis, the government does an allocation of kerosene to the states, and every quarter, it is making an allocation of almost 1 lakh kiloliter. She said, as of today, the order has been released, and another 48 thousand kilolitres of kerosene will be released to the state governments.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, Missions in the Gulf Cooperation Council are in constant touch with Indian nationals and are helping with commercial flight options. He said India has 9,000 nationals in Iran, and the Indian Embassy in Tehran is helping those who wish to leave Iran with alternative options.
Special Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, said that there have been maritime incidents involving Indian crew on foreign-flagged vessels. He informed that there were 78 Indian seafarers on board these vessels, of whom 70 are unhurt and have escaped. He said that, unfortunately, three casualties have been reported, and one seafarer is missing.
Mr Sinha further said that the government is closely monitoring the prevailing maritime situation in the Persian Gulf region and has strengthened monitoring and preparedness measures in view of the situation there. The government is fully committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of Indian seafarers and protecting India’s maritime interests.
