New Delhi, 27 March (H.S.):

Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a virtual summit with chief ministers of states not bound by election codes on Friday to evaluate their contingency measures amid the intensifying West Asia conflict.

Conducted through video conferencing, the deliberations underscored the imperative for cohesive national endeavours under the 'Team India' ethos, sources familiar with the proceedings confirmed. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah participated alongside their state counterparts.

Among those present were N. Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath of Uttar Pradesh, Revanth Reddy of Telangana, Bhagwant Mann of Punjab, Bhupendra Patel of Gujarat, Omar Abdullah of Jammu and Kashmir, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh, and Pema Khandu of Arunachal Pradesh, with additional leaders joining the forum.

Chief ministers from poll-bound jurisdictions – Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, and the Union Territory of Puducherry – were precluded from attendance owing to Model Code of Conduct stipulations. A subsequent session with their chief secretaries has been scheduled by the Cabinet Secretariat.

This gathering represented a landmark initiative, addressing the conflagration that ignited on February 28 with a US-Israel offensive against Iran, prompting Tehran's reprisals on proximate Gulf states and Israel.

Only two days prior, on March 25, the administration hosted an all-party conclave to apprise political stakeholders of remedial actions. During his March 23 address to the Lok Sabha, Modi cautioned of protracted geopolitical turbulence, invoking India's exemplary solidarity during the COVID-19 ordeal as a blueprint for resilience.

He drew attention to prospective domestic security vulnerabilities, affirming that all agencies remained vigilant while fortifications across coastal, border, cyber, and critical infrastructure domains received augmentation.

The Prime Minister exhorted state administrations to vigilantly suppress actors disseminating disinformation, engaging in stockpiling, or abetting black-market activities. When governments and citizens advance in unison, we surmount every impediment – this defines our character and fortitude, he asserted to Parliament.

In a subsequent media address that day, Modi contemplated the cascade of adversities afflicting India since the pandemic's subsidence. Nevertheless, propelled by the collective resolve of 1.4 billion compatriots, we confront each exigency with unwavering determination, he affirmed.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar