The Government today assured citizens that adequate arrangements are in place to ensure uninterrupted supplies of fuel, foodgrains, fertilisers and other essential commodities despite the evolving situation in West Asia.
Addressing an Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia in New Delhi, Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs Anupam Mishra has said that India remains well-positioned in terms of food security, backed by record agricultural production and adequate stocks of essential commodities. Speaking on the country’s food supply situation, Mr. Mishra said that amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, India’s food price stability is being supported by a record food grain production of 3 thousand 766 lakh metric tonnes, while pulses production has reached a record level of over 274 lakh metric tonnes. Mr. Mishra said that imports of pulses have declined significantly compared to previous years due to increased domestic output. He added that government stocks of pulses are at their highest level in the last three years, enhancing the government’s capacity to undertake market interventions whenever required.
Joint Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distributions C. Shikha, highlighting the availability of foodgrains, said that stocks remain well above the prescribed buffer norms. She said that as of today, wheat stock in the Central Pool stood at 513 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) against the prescribed buffer norm of over 276 LMT for 1st of the next month.
Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Sujata Sharma said that all Oil Marketing Companies are actively replenishing the petrol and diesel at all retail outlets to maintain smooth supply. On LPG supply, she informed that during the past three days over 1 crore 21 lakh bookings were received while deliveries exceeded 1 crore 22 lakh with around 95 per cent completed through authentication codes. Ms Sharma added that the government has also urged states and union territories to strengthen vigilance against hoarding, black marketing and irregularities in the sale and distribution of LPG, petrol and diesel. She said that 1300 raids were conducted and seven persons were arrested during the period.
Joint Secretary of the Department of Financial Services, Manoj Muttathil Ayyappan said that the government has approved the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme, ECLGS 5.0, to support businesses affected by the West Asia situation. He added that the scheme aims to provide credit guarantee coverage of 100 percent for MSMEs and 90 percent for non-MSMEs as well as the airline sector. Mr Ayyappan noted that the scheme aims to enable businesses to tide over the challenges arising from the West Asia conflict.
Additional Secretary, Department of Fertilizers, Aparna S. Sharma, informed that India’s fertilizer security remains strong, stable, and well-managed, with availability consistently exceeding requirements across all major fertilizers. She said that for the Kharif 2026 season, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare , in consultation with states, has re-assessed the total fertilizer requirement at 383.9 lakh metric tonnes (LMT). Against this, the current stock position stands at 199.86 LMT, which is more than 52 percent of the seasonal requirement, significantly higher than the usual stocking level of around 33 at this stage.
On the Maritime front, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mukesh Mangal, said shipping services in the region continue to remain stable and operational. The number of shipping services operating east of the Strait of Hormuz and through the Red Sea has remained robust, reflecting continued confidence among global shipping operators. He added that no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels or Indian crew members has been reported in the past 72 hours. Mr Mangal said it has facilitated the safe repatriation of more than 3 thousand 400 Indian seafarers,including 24 in the last 72 hours from various locations across the Gulf region and remains in close coordination with maritime stakeholders to ensure uninterrupted trade and shipping operations.
