Defence Minister-led IGoM takes stock of West Asia situation & India’s preparedness

• India must remain prepared for de-escalation as well as any renewed escalation: Defence Minister

• “PM Modi-led Govt continues to take swift & effective action to mitigate any potential challenges”

New Delhi. The Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, reviewed the current situation in West Asia and discussed India’s preparedness as well as the future course of action during its fourth meeting at Kartavya Bhawan-2, New Delhi on April 18, 2026. Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar; Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers Mr. Jagat Prakash Nadda; Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri; Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Mr. Prahlad Joshi; Minister of Civil Aviation Mr. Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu; Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal; Minister of Power Mr. Manohar Lal; Minister of Labour and Employment, Youth Affairs & Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya; and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh attended the meeting.

Defence Minister termed the ground situation of the conflict as uncertain & volatile, and emphasised on the need for India to remain prepared not only for de-escalation but also for any renewed escalation. In a post on X, he stated that the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi continues to take swift and effective action to mitigate any potential risks or problems arising due to the conflict.

Defence Minister made special mention of the Union Cabinet’s approval of a proposal for the creation of ‘Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool’ with a sovereign guarantee of Rs 12,980 crore to facilitate continuous maritime insurance coverages. This domestic insurance pool ensures that Indian trade continues to have access to affordable insurance for vessels carrying cargo from any international origin to Indian ports and vice-versa, even when transiting volatile maritime corridors. “This important decision will ensure affordable and continuous insurance coverage for India’s maritime trade, strengthening the security and stability of India’s import-export operations. This is a major step towards a stronger, safer and more resilient trade ecosystem for India,” he said.

The IGoM was informed that despite a significant global supply shock, India has maintained adequate fuel stock position, with active efforts to ensure uninterrupted supply. Currently, India has inventories of crude oil, petrol, diesel, and ATF sufficient for over 60 days of consumption. While LNG stocks sufficient for approximately 50 days and LPG stocks sufficient for approximately 40 days respectively are maintained supported by domestic production. To mitigate risks arising from heavy dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, the Government has actively diversified import sources, securing crude, LNG, and LPG supplies from regions including the United States, Australia, and Latin America. Import requirements for April and May 2026 are largely secured, ensuring continuity of supply.

Piped Natural Gas (PNG) is being actively promoted wherever feasible to reduce LPG dependence. Since March 2026, more than 4.76 Lakh PNG connections have been gasified. Further, more than 5.33 Lakh customers have been registered for new connections. Till 17.04.2026, more than 37,500 PNG consumers have surrendered their LPG connections via MYPNGD.in website with a daily growth rate of 15%, indicating a significant shift towards PNG.

An inter-ministerial Joint Working Group (JWG) has been set-up to ensure availability of petrochemical feedstock supply for the domestic market. Subsequently, Govt. of India vide order dated 01.04.2026 has permitted Oil Refinery companies including Petrochemical Complexes to make certain minimum quantities of C3 & C4 streams available for critical sectors as determined by Centre for High Technology (CHT). Based on the requests received from the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals (DCPC), Dept. for Promotion of Industry and internal trade (DPIIT), the provision for 1000 MT/day, from LPG pool, has been made for Pharma and Chemical sector companies. Since 9th April 2026, around 3200 MT of propylene has been sold.

The Ministers were informed that the Wholesale Price Index as well as Retail prices of all food commodities are stable and range bound. Additional allocation of 25 LMT wheat has been recommended by IMC for export. Consumer grievances with respect to LPG are showing declining trend on national consumer helpline 1915. The supply of Propylene has been tied up with BPCL Kochi & Mumbai refineries; and Methanol with Assam Petrochemicals and GNFC. There is no material shortage for Propylene and Methanol.

The IGoM was informed that India has adequate fertiliser stocks of Urea, DAP, NPK, SSP and MOP. From March 01, 2026 to April 16, 2026, a total of 47.50 lakh tons of fertilisers – 28.22 lakh tons of Urea, 10.17 lakh tons of NPK and 3.34 lakh tons of DAP, along with 5.77 lakh tons of SSP – have further boosted the stocks. The special arrangement in the Department of Fertilisers for procuring LNG for production of Urea has been successful in coordination with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The Phosphoric Acid issue has been resolved and a substantial amount of ammonium sulphate is being tied up for import, as an alternative fertiliser.

The meeting was informed that several Indian missions abroad are coordinating for different kinds of fertilisers and input for use in India. A number of effective steps are being taken against diversion, hoarding, black marketing and excessive sales in pockets. Two meetings with Secretaries, Agriculture of States have already been held to sensitise the field officers for effective and appropriate steps for balanced use of fertilisers. In addition, 459 district level task-forces are functional. In April alone, 8,330 raids were conducted by States, 171 licenses suspended/cancelled, and 32 FIRs lodged. More than 1.85 lakh Nigrani Samitis have been formed to carry out awareness campaigns on judicious use of fertilisers.

Describing the well-being and welfare of the Indian diaspora as the Government’s top priority, Mr. Rajnath Singh underlined the need to maintain constant communication with them as well as the concerned nations in the Gulf region to provide all possible assistance. Within the country, he stressed that the measures being taken to mitigate the impact of the situation need to be consistent for a uniformly impactful effect across States/Union Territories. “To ensure the effective management of the situation, the best practices adopted by the States/UTs must be identified and systematically documented so that they can be shared widely & replicated in other states as well,” he said.

Defence Minister added that due cognizance needs to be taken of the mitigation measures being undertaken by different countries to tackle the challenge. “The policy steps, and best practices should be documented so that, as and when required, lessons may be drawn from them to further strengthen our response framework,” he said.