Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review measures taken by various Ministries and Departments and also discussed further initiatives to be taken in the context of the ongoing West Asia conflict, at his residence in New Delhi yesterday.  

 

This was the second special CCS meeting on the issue. During the meeting, the Prime Minister assessed the availability of critical needs for the common man. He also discussed the availability of fertilisers in the country and steps being taken to ensure its availability in the Kharif and Rabi seasons.

 

The Prime Minister also directed that all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens from the impact of the ongoing conflict. Mr Modi underlined the need for timely and smooth flow of authentic information to the public to prevent misinformation and rumour mongering. Mr Modi also directed all concerned departments to take all possible measures to ameliorate the problems of citizens and sectors affected by the ongoing global situation.

 

During the meeting, interventions across agriculture, fertilisers, shipping, aviation, logistics and MSMEs to mitigate emerging challenges were discussed. Further, a review of supply diversification for LPG and LNG, fuel duty reduction and power sector measures was also undertaken to ensure stability of essential supplies. 

 

The Cabinet Secretary briefed about the action taken to ensure the supply of petroleum products, particularly LNG and LPG, and sufficient power availability. He further briefed that LPG prices for domestic consumers have remained the same, and Anti-diversion enforcement to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG is being conducted regularly. 

 

The government said initiatives have also been taken to expand Piped Natural Gas connections. It added that measures like exempting the gas-based power plants with a capacity of 7-8 GW from gas pooling mechanism and increasing of rake for positioning more coal at thermal power stations etc have also been taken to ensure availability of power during the peak summer months. Interventions proposed to be taken for emerging challenges in various other sectors, such as agriculture, civil aviation, shipping and logistics, were also discussed during the meeting.

 

The government also informed that control rooms have been set up for constant monitoring and interaction with States/UTs on prices and enforcement of the Essential Commodities Act, and the prices of agricultural products, vegetables and fruits are also being monitored. It said that efforts are being taken to globally diversify sources for energy, fertilisers and other supply chains, and international initiatives for securing safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and ongoing diplomatic efforts.