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‘No shortage of fuel’: Energy minister Hardeep Puri's assurance amid Strait of Hormuz closure
Energy minister Hardeep Puri gave ‘full’ assurance that there is ‘no shortage of fuel’ amid Strait of Hormuz closure.
Energy minister Hardeep Puri gave ‘full’ assurance on Thursday that there is ‘no shortage of fuel’ in India amid mounting concerns due to Strait of Hormuz closure.
Addressing the Lok Sabha, Puri said, "There is no shortage of petrol, diesel, kerosene, ATF or fuel oil. The availability of petrol, diesel, aviation and fuel oil is fully assured."
Emphasising that what the world is going through currently is something it has not faced in history, Puri said that India has to “navigate the consequences” of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, even though it has no role in it.
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The energy minister also addressed the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz which has disrupted the global energy supply and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's diplomatic outreach for assuring that India secured crude volumes “that exceed what the disrupted Strait could have delivered in same period”.
Amid the ongoing concerns on LPG supply which has hit several restaurants across the country, Puri said "India's crude oil and domestic LPG supply are fully protected.”
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"The world has not faced a moment of this kind in history... Despite India having no role in the conflict, it has to navigate the consequences... India's crude oil and domestic LPG supply are fully protected.”
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Steps taken by India to avert LPG shortage
Highlighting the steps taken by the Indian government to make sure that fuel shortage does not hit Indian households, Puri said it i Modi goverment's priority that the kitchens of “India's 33 crore families do not face any (fuel) shortage.”
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He said that procurement of LPG has been actively diversified as India is now receiving cargoes from the United States, Norway, Canada, Algeria and Russia and that India's LPG production “has been increased by 28% through refinery directives”.
“It should be noted that India was previously importing approximately 60% of its LPG requirements from Gulf countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, while 40% is produced domestically. Procurement has now been actively diversified, with cargoes being secured from the United States, Norway, Canada, Algeria and Russia... Hence, in the last five days, LPG production has been increased by 28% through refinery directives, and further procurement is currently underway," Puri said in Lok Sabha.
