New Delhi, 20 April (H.S.):

The Centre has said once again that supplies of domestic LPG, petrol, diesel and natural gas remain normal despite the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Port operations are functioning smoothly and work related to rural employment and housing schemes is continuing without disruption. However, as the crisis in West Asia has created a challenge for domestic gas supply, the government is moving quickly on plans to increase domestic LPG production.

During the regular inter-ministerial press briefing at the National Media Centre on Monday, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Petroleum Ministry, said there was no shortage in domestic LPG supply. Commercial LPG supply has improved by nearly 70 percent and has now reached 7,000 tonnes per day. Sales of auto LPG have also risen to 350 tonnes per day. Since April 3, around 7,000 awareness camps have been organised and nearly 1 lakh small cylinders have been distributed.

She said 1.84 crore cylinders have been supplied since March 23. Natural gas is being prioritised for household use and for transport through CNG. To support PNG networks in 22 states and union territories, 10 percent additional commercial LPG is being supplied. So far, more than 39,000 consumers have shifted from LPG to PNG.

Petrol and diesel supply remains normal and refineries are operating at full capacity. The ministry said penalties have been imposed on 267 LPG distributors and 67 have been suspended.

Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said National Security Adviser Ajit Doval paid an official visit to Saudi Arabia on April 19. He met Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, foreign minister and national security adviser. The meetings covered a review of bilateral ties, the regional situation and matters of mutual interest.

Mandeep Singh Randhawa, Director in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said the Indian-flagged crude oil tanker Desh Krima, carrying 97,422 metric tonnes of crude oil, safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz on April 18 and is expected to reach Mumbai on April 22. The vessel has 31 Indian sailors on board.

In the past 48 hours, two Indian vessels, Sanmar Herald and bulk carrier Jagannath, reported firing incidents, after which they moved to safe locations. No sailor was injured.

He said the ministry remains in constant contact with ship owners and crew members and is closely monitoring the situation. Since the DG Shipping control room became active, it has handled 6,918 calls and 14,605 emails. So far, 2,563 Indian sailors have been safely brought back home. Port operations across the country remain normal and there is no congestion anywhere.

Amit Shukla, Joint Secretary in the Rural Development Ministry, said the ministry is maintaining rural employment under MGNREGA and ensuring a smooth transition to the upcoming VB Gram G Yojana.

For this, Rs 17,744 crore has been released for wage payments. Under the new scheme, a 125-day employment guarantee will soon be notified. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin, the target is to build 4.59 crore houses by March 2029, which will be achieved through real-time monitoring and timely DBT payments.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar