Government today said that the country has the capacity to refine 26 crore tonnes of crude oil and urged citizens to stop believing in rumours and avoid panic buying. Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia held in New Delhi today, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Sujata Sharma clarified that there has been no increase in the rates of petrol and diesel amid rumours of a petrol-diesel price hike. Talking about PNG Expansion, she said that the government is focusing on it and yesterday issued a gazette notification in this regard, whose main objective is to streamline application fees and approval timelines related to PNG connections across all states. She added that in the last approximately 25 days, about 2.5 lakh new connections have been provided. Additionally, around 2.2 lakh consumers have shifted from LPG to PNG.
Special Secretary of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Rajesh Kumar Sinha, said that in the last 24 hours, 50 Indian seafarers have been repatriated and brought back to India. He said, ” No incident involving any Indian vessel or seafarer has been reported. He said that around 20 Indian-flagged vessels, carrying 540 Indian seafarers, are currently in the Gulf region and are safe. He stated the Directorate General of Shipping is maintaining continuous communication with them. Mr Sinha added that Port operations are normal, and no congestion has been reported anywhere.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said, ‘The Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with the US President Donald Trump and the Sri Lankan President on the evolving West Asia situation.’ Prime Minister Modi reiterated India’s call for de-escalation, early restoration of peace, and ensuring the Strait of Hormuz remains open and secure for global stability. He said, ‘Both discussions emphasised safeguarding shipping routes and continued coordination on regional peace and energy security, including India-Sri Lanka cooperation. ‘The MEA spokesperson said India also remains engaged with regional stakeholders, including Iran, while facilitating the safe return of its citizens from the region, with evacuations underway via the Armenian and Azerbaijani routes.
