Director at the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Rohit Raj, today said that the Union Cabinet’s decision to provide one-time budgetary support of ten thousand crore rupees for ATF price stabilization has been taken in the larger public interest, to protect air connectivity, ensure stability in air services and shield passengers from the impact of extraordinary global volatility that has arisen due to the West Asia conflict. Addressing the Inter-Ministerial Briefing in New Delhi today on Recent Developments in West Asia, Mr Raj said that the arrangement is intended not as a subsidy, but a temporary stabilisation method to smoothen the impact of exceptional fuel price volatility while ensuring full accountability, monitoring and recovery of funds. The Director said that by reducing the exposure of airlines to extreme fuel price fluctuations, the Government aims to minimise the pass-through of such cost to travellers and provide a greater fair stability. He said the measure will also help maintain uninterrupted connectivity across the country. He added that connectivity is essential for regional development, tourism, trade, health care, education and investment. Mr Raj further said that the government is committed to safeguarding the interests of passengers, maintaining affordable and reliable air services, and supporting the growth of the country’s civil aviation sector.
Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Sujata Sharma said that the country has adequate stock of petrol, diesel, LPG and natural gas. She highlighted that no dry outs have been reported in any LPG distributorship. She said that online LPG cylinder bookings have increased to 99 per cent, while OTP-based deliveries have risen to more than 96 per cent. Ms Sharma informed that vigilance and enforcement action is continuing to avoid black marketing and hoarding of petroleum products . The Joint Secretary said that over eight lakh PNG connections have been gasified since March, adding that infrastructure has been created for two lakh ninty eight thousand connections. The Joint Secretary also highlighted that in the last three days around one crore fourty three lakh domestic LPG cylinders were delivered in the country. She said that during the last three days 19 thousand ton of commercial LPG cylinder has been sold. She further noted that over one lakh fifty seven thousand 5 kg FTL cylinders were sold in the last three days.
Additional Secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Asim R. Mahajan, said that developments in the Gulf and West Asia regions are being closely monitored. He appealed to countrymen to avoid travelling to Iran. Mr Mahajan said that the Indian Embassy in Tehran has facilitated movement of two thousand 557 Indian nationals out of Iran through land border routes. Mr Mahajan said, Indian Embassies and Consulates continue to operate round-the-clock helplines to provide timely assistance and are pro-actively assisting Indian citizens. He informed that thirteen Indian nationals were injured yesterday, in an attack on the Kuwait International airport and are currently undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Kuwait. He added that the Mission is extending all assistance to the injured and is in close touch with the local authorities. He added that the overall flight situation continues to improve, with additional flights operating from the region to various destinations in India. Mr Mahajan noted that regular advisories are being issued, including information related to local government guidelines, as well as flight and travel situations.
Director of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Opesh Kumar Sharma said that 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. Mr Sharma said that all Indian seafarers in the region are safe, and no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels or foreign vessels with Indian crew has been reported in the past 72 hours. He added, the Ministry has facilitated the safe repatriation of more than three thousand 474 Indian seafarers so far, including 28 in the last 72 hours from various locations across the Gulf region.
