Rajnath Singh to head Inter-Ministerial Group on Middle East conflict

The government has set up an Inter-Ministerial Group, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, to monitor issues arising from the Middle East conflict. Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri are among the members, along with other ministers.This comes as concerns rise around energy security, oi land LPG supply and overall global order disruption. Earlier this week, the government had announced the creation of seven empowered groups to evaluate the effects of the ongoing military conflict in West Asia on energy supplies, essential commodities, and supply chains, and to devise strategies to mitigate its impact on the Indian economy.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, prime minister Narendra Modi noted that the conflict has unsettled economies worldwide and warned that recovery from the disruptions would take time. Drawing on lessons from the government’s response during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said the groups would act as quick-response teams, focusing on critical areas including petrol and diesel, fertilisers, gas, supply chains, and inflation.