Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a key meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review measures taken by various ministries/ departments amid the West Asia crisis. This was the second CCS meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on the matter.

During the meeting, PM Modi reviewed supply diversification for LPG and LNG, as well as fuel duty reduction and power sector measures to ensure that essentials remain stable. In a release by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) after the meeting, the government said efforts to globally diversify sources of energy, fertilizers and other supply chains were being taken. For diversification, new inflows of LPG and LNG are being facilitated from different countries.

The cabinet secretary briefed the members about the action taken to ensure supply of petroleum products, particularly LNG/LPG, and sufficient power availability. Interventions across agriculture, fertilizers, shipping, aviation, logistics and MSME’s were discussed to face the challenges emerging out of the crisis, the PMO statement said.

The PMO said that initiatives have been taken to expand Piped Natural Gas connections.

“Measures like exempting the gas-based power plants with a capacity of 7-8 GW from gas pooling mechanism and increasing of rake for positioning more coal at thermal power stations etc. have also been taken to ensure availability of power during the peak summer months,” the office stated.

According to the PMO statement, retail prices of food commodities have been stable over the past one month, with control rooms set up for constant monitoring and interaction with states/ union territories. The prices of agricultural products, vegetables and fruits are also being monitored.