Kashmir Impulse Desk

New Delhi, July 30

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for faster adoption of renewable energy as India seeks to strengthen energy security amid disruptions caused by conflicts in key global trade routes.

Chairing a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting on Thursday to review the West Asia crisis, Modi directed officials to ensure uninterrupted supplies of fertilisers and protect Indian citizens and the diaspora affected by the conflict.

He also called for a mechanism to provide timely information, emergency assistance and counselling to seafarers and their families, while urging a coordinated government response to developments affecting India’s supply chains.

The meeting, the fourth special CCS session convened to review the crisis, examined risks to energy and other imports passing through strategic waterways including the Strait of Hormuz, the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Officials told the meeting that India had diversified its sources of liquefied petroleum gas and that stocks of major petroleum products remained adequate. Refineries operated by central public-sector companies were running at more than 100% utilisation, supported by adequate crude supplies, ensuring continued production of petrol, diesel and other fuels.

The government is also seeking to reduce industrial dependence on LPG by expanding the national gas grid, LNG import and regasification capacity and city gas distribution networks.

The meeting also reviewed fertiliser requirements for the coming Rabi season and discussed alternative sources of supply.

India imports more than 88% of its energy needs and relies on overseas supplies of fertilisers. About 10 million Indians also live and work in West Asia, making the conflict a significant concern for the government.