Last Updated on March 31, 2026 1:21 am by INDIAN AWAAZ
A R DAS
Government on Monday assured that the country has sufficient stock of Fertilizers, amid the West Asia conflict. Addressing the Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia in New Delhi, Additional Secretary for Department of Fertilizers Aparna Sharma informed that the country’s urea units are currently producing at 80% capacity. She said that during the Kharif season the country requires 390 tonnes of fertilizers. She said that efforts are being taken to diversify the sourcing basis other than the Gulf countries. She mentioned that the Gulf region, crucial for the import of fertilizers and domestic production of urea, has been impacted initially, but the country has adequate stock available for the Kharif season. She informed that April and May are lean months for agriculture, and we usually use this period to build up stocks. She added that keeping this in mind, we had already lined up significant imports.
Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Sujata Sharma, said that there is adequate availability of petrol, diesel, LPG, and PNG in the country. She said that the government has taken several measures to ensure this at multiple levels and continues to do so. She said that the country’s refineries are operating normally, and crude inventories are sufficient. The Joint Secretary said that to ensure adequate availability in the domestic market and to keep prices from rising, the Government has reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by 10 rupees.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Prime Minister Modi is currently engaging in discussions with leaders from various nations across the globe. He added that, on March 28th, the Prime Minister held talks with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman and exchanged views regarding the ongoing conflict in West Asia. He underlined that Mr Modi condemned the attacks targeting energy infrastructure in that region.
Joint Secretary (Gulf) at the Ministry of External Affairs, Aseem Mahajan, informed that yesterday, an Indian national lost his life in an attack in Kuwait. Expressing condolences to the family of the deceased, he said that India’s mission in Kuwait is in touch with the family of the deceased and is coordinating closely with the local authorities to render all support and for the early return of his mortal remains to India. He added that a total of eight Indian nationals have lost their lives and one Indian national remains missing in various incidents. Further, he assured that the Ministry of External Affairs is closely monitoring the evolving situation in the Gulf and West Asia region and the safety, security and welfare of the large Indian community in the region remain the government’s utmost priority.
Talking about Indian students in the region, he said that the welfare of Indian students in the Gulf countries is being accorded high priority, and the government is making every effort to see that students’ academic year is not impacted.
Special Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, stated that currently, there are 18 Indian vessels in the Persian Gulf, carrying 485 Indian seafarers. He assured that all of them are safe and no maritime incidents have been reported within the last 24 hours. Mr Kumar added that on 28th March, two LPG carriers, the BW TYR and the BW ELM, successfully cleared the Strait of Hormuz and are now en route to Indian ports.