NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the first meeting of an Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) on Saturday to deliberate on preparedness and measures required to address potential challenges amid the West Asia conflict.
The meeting comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a virtual meeting with Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories on the evolving situation in West Asia.
Following several hours of discussion in this inaugural meeting of the group, recently constituted on the Prime Minister’s direction, Rajnath Singh, who also heads the IGoM, stated that the meeting reviewed risks to energy supplies and the domestic availability of essential commodities.
In a post, Singh said, "A meeting of an IGoM (Informal Group of Ministers) constituting several senior ministers was held today to review the risks to energy supplies, domestic availability of essential commodities, critical infrastructure resilience and robustness of India’s supply chains in the wake of the ongoing conflict in West Asia".
He added that an in-depth discussion was also held on all steps being taken to tackle the emerging situation, with ministers and officials in attendance.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to addressing the crisis arising from the conflict in West Asia, Singh further stated, "The NDA Government under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi is closely monitoring the situation, and it is committed to safeguarding the Indian people from any impact of the conflict".
The meeting took place amid a worsening crisis that has begun to significantly affect fuel and broader energy security sectors worldwide.
However, the Modi government continues to maintain that there is no shortage of fuel or essential petrochemicals.
Those present at the meeting included IGoM members such as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, JP Nadda, Hardeep Puri, and Manohar Lal Khattar, along with the Foreign Secretary and other officials.
On Friday evening, the Prime Minister had also chaired a virtual meeting with Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories regarding the emerging situation linked to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, involving the US, Israel and Iran, which has intensified over the past two weeks.
In light of the situation, the government has also briefed both Houses of Parliament, with the Prime Minister addressing the issue, followed by an all-party meeting seeking collective support to manage the crisis.
The Prime Minister urged all parties to remain united and work together in the spirit of "Team India" during this challenging period.
The purpose of the IGoM is to monitor the West Asia crisis and its potential impact on India’s economy, as well as the fuel and oil sectors. The group includes Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and other ministers, including Hardeep Puri.
The IGoM is supported by seven empowered groups focusing on key areas such as strategic affairs, the economy, finance, petroleum, energy, logistics, and public communication.
The formation of these empowered groups followed the Prime Minister’s earlier review of the security and economic situation at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).