Two Indian ships loaded with LPG crossed Hormuz, government said – petrol, diesel and grains all sufficient

Mukesh Mangal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Shipping and Waterways, said that despite the current circumstances, all the Indian sailors present in the area are completely safe. He clarified that no untoward incident has been reported related to any Indian flagged ship during the last 24 hours. In recent times, two Indian ships Green Sanghvi and Green Asha carrying LPG have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz. At present, a total of 16 Indian flag ships are operating in the western Persian Gulf region, on which 433 Indian sailors are deployed.

What is the current wheat stock?

The Ministry is continuously coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Embassies and other organizations related to the maritime sector, so that the safety of seafarers and maritime operations remain smooth. At the same time, C. Shikha, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, has assured about the situation of food grains stocks in the country. He said that India has adequate buffer stock of wheat and rice, which is about three times more than the prescribed standards. At present the stock of wheat is about 222 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) and the stock of rice is about 380 LMT. Thus the total food grain stock reaches approximately 602 LMT, which is sufficient to meet the needs of the Public Distribution System (PDS) as well as any emergency.

C. Shikha also said that India continues to import from its major international partners Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Ukraine, Argentina and Brazil, due to which the supply chain remains stable. Apart from this, improvement in mustard production has also strengthened the food supply at the domestic level. The government is constantly monitoring the market situation and is ready to intervene if needed.

What did the Joint Petroleum Ministry say?

On the other hand, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, Petroleum Ministry, informed regarding LPG supply that due to the global situation, there have been some obstacles, but the availability of gas in the country remains sufficient. Arrangements for additional cargo have also been made. Within the last 35 days, LPG has been delivered to approximately 18 crore homes in the country. Also, more than 42 lakh commercial cylinders of 19 kg have been distributed in the last three weeks. Good demand was also seen for smaller five kg cylinders, where around 90,000 cylinders were sold in a single day.

The government has conducted about one lakh raids and inspections in the last four to five weeks, showing strictness against hoarding and black marketing. During this period, 850 FIRs were registered and 220 people were arrested, which has helped in maintaining control over the supply and prices of essential commodities.