The Government of India held an inter-ministerial briefing at the National Media Centre to outline preparedness for developments in West Asia. Senior officers from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting described coordinated steps on energy supply, maritime safety and the welfare of Indian nationals. The briefing said the Government is engaging with West Asian countries and is closely monitoring maritime routes.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said India has refining capacity of around 258 million (mn) metric tonnes per annum and is meeting domestic petrol and diesel demand without imports. Refineries are operating at high utilisation and crude inventories are being maintained through diversified import sources and shipping routes. No dry-outs have been reported at 0.1 mn retail outlets and the public was urged not to panic as stocks are adequate and supplies are being maintained regularly.

On domestic gas and LPG the ministry said about 15 mn piped natural gas household connections are being served without interruption and industrial and commercial supplies are regulated at 80 per cent under a control order. Around 6 mn households have PNG connectivity nearby but are not availing supply and were asked to switch to PNG to conserve LPG cylinders. Daily LPG bookings rose from about 5.57 mn to 7.6 mn yesterday while Oil Marketing Companies continue to deliver around five mn cylinders; call centre capacity has been increased and authorities have stepped up enforcement against hoarding and black marketing.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways reported 24 Indian-flagged vessels with 668 Indian seafarers in the Persian Gulf and about 23,000 seafarers across the wider Gulf, with DG Shipping coordinating repatriation and operating a 24-hour control room. DG Shipping has handled thousands of queries and facilitated repatriation of over 223 stranded seafarers, and port operations remain stable with priority berthing, ad-hoc berthing and facilitation for critical cargo. The Ministry of External Affairs said consular helplines are active, five Indian nationals have died and one remains missing, and the Government urged citizens to book LPG cylinders through authorised online channels and avoid panic.