IGoM reviews national preparedness amid West Asia tensions, ensures energy and food supply stability

New Delhi, April 8. An Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on April 8 reviewed India’s overall preparedness in light of recent developments in West Asia, focusing on energy security, food availability, and supply-chain resilience.

The third meeting of the IGoM was held at Kartavya Bhawan-2 in New Delhi and was attended by a cross-section of senior Union Ministers, including Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Piyush Goyal, JP Nadda, Hardeep Singh Puri, Prahlad Joshi, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Kiren Rijiju, K Rammohan Naidu and Jitendra Singh.

In his remarks, Singh directed all departments to intensify coordination, preparedness, and resilience measures to handle any fallout from the conflict. In a post on X, he said the government is ensuring uninterrupted supplies of LPG, petrol, diesel, fertilisers, and essential commodities across the country, crediting the leadership of Narendra Modi for safeguarding citizens from the conflict’s ripple effects.

Energy security measures

The IGoM was informed that India had facilitated the evacuation of more vessels from the Strait of Hormuz than any other country over the past 40 days. Eight LPG vessels carrying around 340 thousand metric tonnes – equivalent to nearly 11 days of India’s LPG import requirement – have safely transited the waterway, bolstering energy security.

Officials said there have been no reports of LPG shortages at distributorships, and domestic cylinder deliveries continue nationwide. To support vulnerable sections, including migrant workers, the allocation of 5-kg free trade LPG cylinders for priority groups was doubled on April 7. Public sector oil company outlets continue to supply auto LPG to sustain public transport services, though private operators are facing procurement challenges, leading to higher footfall at PSU pumps.

In a key decision on April 8, the government approved allocation of 70 percent of LPG fuel demand to non-domestic bulk consumers, prioritising sectors such as pharmaceuticals, food processing, polymers, agriculture, packaging, paints, steel, and defence manufacturing. The move is aimed at preventing industrial disruptions and shortages of essential goods.

The government is also accelerating the shift towards piped natural gas (PNG). A recent campaign has led to the addition of over 3.16 lakh new PNG connections – three times the level seen in March 2025 – while more than 16,700 consumers voluntarily surrendered LPG connections.

Ministers were also briefed on a softening of energy prices following the recent ceasefire, with assurance that sectoral indicators would continue to be closely monitored.

Food security and price stability

The Department of Food and Public Distribution informed the IGoM that adequate buffer stocks of rice and wheat are available to meet Public Distribution System (PDS) needs and emergency requirements under the National Food Security Act.

The government remains ready to intervene in markets through the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS), under which the Food Corporation of India can release surplus grains to stabilise prices and curb inflation. Wheat procurement for the Rabi Marketing Season 2026-27 has begun, with states coordinating closely to ensure smooth operations and sufficient packaging material.

To avoid any bottlenecks, the government is diversifying sources of packaging material in consultation with petroleum and chemicals ministries.

Edible oils, sugar and onion buffer

Despite global uncertainties, edible oil supplies remain comfortable, with steady imports from Indonesia, Malaysia, Argentina, and Brazil and improved domestic mustard output expected to rise by around 5 percent. While prices of edible oils have seen moderate increases, overall food prices remain stable.

The sugar sector is also well-stocked, with 15.80 lakh metric tonnes cleared for export this year, of which 3.73 LMT has already been shipped to markets including Sri Lanka, West Asia, and East Africa. Retail sugar inflation has remained low at around 3 percent over the past three years.

The Department of Consumer Affairs is tracking daily prices of 40 essential commodities across 578 centres nationwide and has not observed any unusual volatility so far. Procurement of onions for the price stabilisation buffer will begin shortly, with the NAFED and the NCCF preparing for operations. Onion exports last year reached 15.40 LMT and are expected to rise further.

The IGoM concluded that while global uncertainties persist, India’s energy, food, and essential commodity supply chains remain stable, backed by proactive coordination across ministries.