Daily briefing on West Asia crisis: Govt assures energy supplies stable, fertilisers adequate, and maritime operations unaffected 

Inter-ministerial briefing on West Asia conflict
Govt briefing on West Asia crisis (Image via PIB)

Senior officials from multiple ministries held the daily inter-ministerial briefing in New Delhi on Thursday, 30th April, to keep the public updated on the ongoing West Asia conflict. Representatives from key departments, including the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and the Department of Fertilisers, shared updates on how the government is managing energy supplies, maintaining logistics, and ensuring that essential services remain unaffected despite global tensions.

Fertiliser supplies remain strong

The briefing began with a statement from Aparna Sharma, Additional Secretary in the Department of Fertilisers, who reassured that fertiliser availability across the country remains stable and well above requirement levels.

“On behalf of the Department of Fertilisers, this is to inform the gathering that fertiliser availability remains robust, and supplies continue to exceed the requirements for Kharif 2026,” she said.

Providing detailed figures, she added that against a requirement of 390.54 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), the current stock stands at 193.38 LMT, which is about 50% of the total need. “This reflects improved planning, advanced stocking, and efficient logistics management by the government,” Sharma said.

She further noted that urea availability is currently at 73.81 LMT, while DAP stands at 23.47 LMT. Stocks of other fertilisers are also sufficient, ensuring a smooth start to the Kharif season. “There has been no change in the MRP of fertilisers. Domestic production and imports have remained strong despite the crisis,” she added.

LPG supply stable despite disruptions

Addressing concerns over fuel availability, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said that while energy imports have been affected due to the West Asia situation, the government has taken steps to minimise any impact on consumers.

“As you are aware, due to the West Asia crisis, our energy imports, including crude oil, LPG, and natural gas, have been impacted. However, the Government of India has made every effort to ensure minimal inconvenience to the public,” she said.

She confirmed that the domestic LPG supply remains fully stable. “Domestic LPG supply has been ensured at 100%… there are no dry-outs at any LPG distributor, and online bookings have increased to nearly 98%,” she added.

Sujata Sharma also highlighted improvements in delivery systems, noting that about 93% of LPG cylinder deliveries are now carried out through the Delivery Authentication Code system. Commercial LPG supply has also been restored to around 70%, with over 1.92 lakh tonnes sold this month.

“Auto LPG sales this month are nearly 10,250 tonnes… Sales of 5 kg cylinders have also seen a notable increase,” she said, adding that awareness campaigns are being conducted regularly, with 190 camps held just a day earlier.

Shipping operations normal, seafarers safe

Providing an update on maritime operations, Mukesh Mangal, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said that the situation remains under control and closely monitored.

“The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways continues to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions, and maritime stakeholders to ensure seafarer welfare and uninterrupted maritime operations,” he said.

He confirmed that all Indian seafarers in the region are safe and that no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours.

Mangal also shared data on the ministry’s response system. “The control room has handled 8,155 calls and more than 17,000 emails since its activation. In the past 24 hours, 121 calls and 285 emails have been received,” he said.

He added that the government has facilitated the safe return of over 2,857 Indian seafarers so far, including 28 in the last 24 hours. Port operations across the country remain normal, with no congestion reported.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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