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West Asia Crisis Update: Indian Govt Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Oil, Gas & Pharmaceuticals HOT
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00:08There is a clear recognition of the fact that various global supply chains of pharma
00:15inputs have disrupted on account of West Asia crisis. There is an issue related to supply
00:25of solvents and active pharmaceutical ingredients. However, there is no major increase in sales
00:32prices of drugs and pharmaceuticals. In order to support pharma industry and to maintain
00:40the availability of inputs, feedstocks and also APIs, Department of Revenue through Notification
00:47dated 1st April 2026 has slashed custom duties of 40 various petrochemical products to zero.
00:59It should be recognized that pharmaceutical sector has a very strong value chain linkage
01:06with the petroleum and petrochemical sector particularly in the supply of critical feedstocks
01:13and solvents which are used for manufacturing of drugs and syrups. In view of this interdependence,
01:21the government is working in close coordination with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
01:27and the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals so that uninterrupted supply of essential pharma
01:33inputs is ensured. Accordingly, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has made allocation
01:41pro rata as per the availability of feedstocks, particularly propylene and there are other two solvents,
01:49ammonia and methanol, as with the help of Department of Fertilizer. Fertilizer manufacturing units
02:00are continuously providing the necessary input of ammonia to solvent manufacturers so that further
02:10downstream products are made available. Propylene remains the most critical input because it is used
02:17for production of isopropyl alcohol and isobutyl benzene which are used for manufacturing of medicines
02:25like ibuprofen and other necessary drugs. A significant portion of these is being supplied by the Ministry of Petroleum
02:35and Natural Gas through BPCL Kochi and Mumbai refineries. However, methanol supply has emerged as a major area of concern.
02:46In this regard, there has been discussions with Assam
02:50Petrochemicals and GNFC which are ready to supply the necessary quantities of methanol. So work is underway to establish the
03:02necessary logistics and supply chains.
03:05Supply, however, in a moderate way has already commenced. The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals
03:12has also extended support by suspending the quality control order of morpholine and morpholine is a very important building block
03:20used for manufacturing of various life-saving drugs.
03:23Aluminium supply required for pharmaceutical packaging has faced constraints. The restoration of supplies is underway and the situation is expected
03:31to
03:32normalize within a week or so. Supplies of LPG and HSD oil is important, particularly for ampoule and vile ceilings
03:41and are under very close watch and
03:44pharmaceutical units are currently not facing any constraints as of today. The government remains fully engaged with the
03:52facilitating supplies on case-to-case basis. That means to say, if there are any concerns, we get information and
04:00request through concerned organizations and also through associations. And as and when we get requests from these associations, we facilitate
04:12the supply in our own limited
04:14manner. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Now we take updates from the Petroleum Ministry. Over to you, Sujati.
04:26Maura Yara fordi,
04:33India,
04:34It's called
04:48Domestic
04:48domestic consumer
04:50prioritize
04:50and
04:53use
04:54for LPG
04:56supply
04:57100%
04:58ensure
04:59our
05:00any
05:00LPG
05:02has no
05:03dry out
05:03reported
05:04yesterday
05:05we have
05:0751
05:08lakhs
05:09more
05:09LPG
05:11cylinder
05:11sale
05:13our
05:14online
05:14booking
05:1598%
05:17OTP
05:19based
05:20LPG
05:21delivery
05:2192%
05:23commercial LPG
05:25effect
05:26is
05:28commercial LPG
05:3170%
05:32restore
05:33and
05:34now
05:36we have
05:37to tell
05:38pharma
05:38and
05:39other
05:40sectors
05:41for
05:41food
05:43polymer
05:44agriculture
05:44packaging
05:45paint
05:46etc
05:47in
05:47sb
05:48k
05:48liye
05:49bulk
05:50non
05:51domestic
05:51LPG
05:52supply
05:53ko
05:53restore
05:54kia
05:55gya
05:55hai
05:55sector
05:56wise
05:56lgbog
05:57200 ton
05:58is
05:59kia
05:59alawah
05:59me
05:59aapko
06:00ya
06:00bata
06:00na
06:00chau
06:01ghi
06:01ki
06:014
06:0214
06:02m
06:031
06:04ton
06:04commercial
06:05LPG
06:06ki
06:07sale
06:07hui
06:07hai
06:07kal
06:096700 ton
06:11commercial
06:11LPG
06:12ki
06:12sale
06:13hui
06:13If you look at 19 kilo cylinder, there are 3,500,000 cylinders.
06:195 kilo cylinder for students and labor to support,
06:30or for them to give 5 kilo cylinder.
06:37This is the last week since the last week,
06:41we have more oil marketing companies.
06:45We have more than 20,000 cylinders in camps.
06:52This is the last week since the last week,
07:05this is the last week since the last week,
07:09we have more than 20,500,000 cylinders.
07:15Natural gas,
07:16I have told you yesterday,
07:19that 90% of the supplies,
07:22fertilizer plants,
07:24restore to it.
07:26Now, it has to increase 95%.
07:28This is the last week,
07:31CGD companies,
07:33colleges, schools,
07:35cold storage, food processing industry,
07:38100% gas supply,
07:40करने की,
07:41बात कही गई है.
07:47March के महिने से लेकर अब तक,
07:50लगबक 3,97,000,
07:52नए PNG connections को गैस दी गई है.
07:55इसके अलावा,
07:564,30,000,
07:57नए customers भी रिजिस्टर किये गए हैं.
08:02हमारा एक portal है,
08:04website is mypngd.in
08:07this website
08:0918,000
08:1118,000
08:11consumers
08:13have
08:13their
08:14LPG connections
08:15to surrender
08:16to their
08:16retail outlets
08:18and
08:19the supply
08:19is normal
08:19and
08:20I want to
08:23tell you
08:24that the oil
08:25marketing
08:25companies
08:26that
08:28the pump
08:30is
08:30where
08:30auto
08:31LPG
08:32sale
08:33is
08:34normal
08:35but
08:37private
08:37operators
08:38because
08:38our
08:40pumps
08:41are
08:41there
08:43I want to
08:51tell you
08:52that
08:52our
08:52inventory
08:53is
08:54adequate
08:54our
08:55refineries
08:56optimum
08:57capacity
08:57is
08:58working
08:59tomorrow
09:01which
09:02which our LPG production was more than 48,000 tons of refineries.
09:08In addition, the C3 and C4 molecules of pharmaceutical, animal husbandry,
09:17Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals requests were more than 800 tons per day.
09:30I will tell you that the states and union territories have a control room,
09:37the District Monitoring Committee has a set-up,
09:40and the states have a daily briefing issue.
09:50Yesterday, there were 3,300 rates,
09:53which were 600,000 to more than 600,000.
09:56Now, there are more than 1,16,000 rates.
10:29Now we take updates from Shipping Ministry.
10:35Ministry of Port, Shipping and Waterways, in coordination with Ministry of External Affairs,
10:40Cargo Ministries and Indian Missions is actively monitoring the situation.
10:47No incident involving Indian flagged vessels or Indian seafarers has been reported in the past 24 hours.
10:54The Indian flagged vessel LPG, that is LPG filled with LPG, Green Asha,
11:01that crossed the Strait of Howmuj on 5 April 2026, has safely reached JNPA earlier today.
11:15The Ministry's control room, that is manned by DG Shipping, has handled about 5,600 calls and 12,000 emails
11:24since its activation.
11:26In the past 24 hours, 166 calls and 317 emails have been received.
11:33The Ministry through DG Shipping has facilitated the safe repatriation of over 1,800 Indian seafarers so far,
11:42including 49 in the past 24 hours from various locations across the Gulf region.
11:48Port operation across India remains normal, with no concession reported.
11:52The Ministry continues to coordinate with the maritime stakeholders to ensure seafarer welfare and uninterrupted maritime operations.
12:04Thank you. Now, Ranir ji.
12:08Thank you, ma'am.
12:12We are closely following the developments in West Asia.
12:16We continue to engage with countries in the region.
12:19As you would have seen our press release earlier yesterday,
12:24External Affairs Minister will pay an official visit to the United Arab Emirates from 11th to 12th April 2026.
12:33During the visit, he will meet the leadership of the UAE to review close cooperation and deepen the comprehensive strategic
12:43partnership between the two countries.
12:46We are also reaching out to other countries in the GCC region.
12:52Our Minister of Petroleum is also visiting the region, as you would have seen.
12:56He is paying an official visit to Qatar on 9th and 10th April 2026.
13:02Thank you very much.
13:03Asim ji.
13:05Good afternoon.
13:07We continue to monitor the developments in the Gulf and West Asia region.
13:11Our dedicated special control room in the Ministry remains operational,
13:15and we continue to remain in regular touch with the state governments and union territories.
13:20Our efforts are focused on ensuring the safety, security, and welfare of the Indian community in the region.
13:27Our missions and posts are operating round-the-clock helplines and proactively assisting our citizens.
13:33Updated advisories are being issued, including information related to local government guidelines,
13:38flight and travel situation, and consular services.
13:41Our missions remain actively engaged with the Indian community associations, organizations, professional groups, Indian companies, and other stakeholders.
13:50An update on the status of flights.
13:53Flights continue to operate from the region to India from countries where airspace is open.
13:58Since February, we have traveled from the region to India.
14:07Airlines continue to operate limited non-scheduled commercial flights based on operational and safety considerations between UAE and India.
14:15Around 85 flights are expected to operate from the UAE to India today.
14:21Flights are operating from various airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman to different destinations in India.
14:27With the Qatar airspace partially open, Qatar Airways is expected to operate around 8 to 10 flights to India today.
14:36Kuwait airspace remains closed.
14:39Jazira Airways of Kuwait and Kuwait Airways continue to operate non-scheduled commercial flights from Dhamam Airport of Saudi Arabia
14:46to various destinations in India.
14:48Due to airspace closure, we continue to facilitate travel of Indian nationals from Kuwait to Saudi Arabia to India.
14:58Bahrain Airspace is now open.
15:01Gulf Air of Bahrain has announced limited flight operations from Bahrain to India that are expected to start soon.
15:07Gulf Air is operating non-scheduled commercial flights from Dhamam Airport of Saudi Arabia to various destinations in India.
15:15We continue to facilitate travel of Indian nationals from Bahrain through Saudi Arabia to India.
15:25Our Embassy in Tehran has so far facilitated movement of 2,170 Indian nationals from Iran to Armenia and Azerbaijan
15:35for onward travel to India.
15:36This includes 971 Indian students and 657 Indian fishermen.
15:42The airspace in Israel remains closed.
15:45We continue to facilitate travel of Indian nationals from Israel through Jordan and Egypt to India.
15:52Iraqi airspace is now open.
15:55Flight operations are yet to resume.
15:57We continue to facilitate travel of Indian nationals from Iraq through Jordan and Saudi Arabia to India.
16:06Now we will take questions.
16:07First row, 54, 130, 208 and 46.
16:16Good afternoon.
16:17I am Rajesh Roy from Bloomberg.
16:18Sujata ma'am, any details possible on oil minister's visit to Qatar because Qatar is a big supplier of energy?
16:26And Mangal say, any details on the Indian flag vessels movement?
16:30And Randhir says, you know, over the weekend, Pakistan is going to hold a high power delegation from U.S.
16:35led by J.D. Vance and also Iran.
16:37How do you see that?
16:38How does India react to that?
16:45Hi, thanks.
16:46I'm Arzadi from PK, partly asked by Rajesh.
16:49But again, what is on Mr. Puri's agenda for Qatar?
16:54Are we looking at resuming sourcing of LNG again from Qatar because Qatar has been the largest supplier?
17:00And one question to Mr. Satiprakash, does the feedstock supplies, will they normalize the production of critical medicines now?
17:12There were also reports that some contraceptive production was also impacted because of the supplies.
17:17Have all those supplies been normalized now?
17:20Hi, Sukar from the Indian Express.
17:23My question is for Mangal sir and Randhir sir as well.
17:27You know, our government has maintained that there should be free passage of ships through the state of Hormuz.
17:39But now increasingly there are talks of a toll being formalized by Iran.
17:44And in fact, US President Donald Trump also made a comment calling it a beautiful thing, you know, a big
17:53beautiful toll.
17:55Considering that our stance has always been that there should be freedom of navigation,
18:01what would be India's stand if such a system were to be formalized?
18:07Considering that there are certain examples of natural states having a toll system, for instance, the Bosphorus, the Turkish government
18:15charges a fee.
18:17So if that sort of comes into play here, in the state of Hormuz, what would be our stance? Thank
18:23you.
18:29Hi, Tweish from Economic Times. Thank you for letting me ask a question.
18:33So yesterday, DG Shipping late night came out with a circular regarding some more advisories telling the ports that they
18:41should also pass on the concessions as early as possible
18:44and telling the ships to make sure that they are not overcharging, saying that there is too much insurance premium
18:51being paid.
18:51Sir, can we get to know about any of the triggers that led to this more stricter advisory that was
18:57issued?
18:59Sir, I think, 3rd, third row? OK, we can move on, yes. 2, yes. 2 and 2 is 66 and
19:0795.
19:12So, Rithraaj here from MENT. My question is both for the Petroleum Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs.
19:18So, Bangladesh foreign ministry yesterday met Hardeep Singh Puri and he sought further supplies of diesel and fertilizers.
19:27Can you give details in terms of what sort of supplies our neighboring countries have sought in terms of petroleum
19:35products
19:35and have we actually sent further petroleum products amidst the past one month or what is the way forward on
19:45this?
19:48Hello, sir. My name is Anugash Rat.
19:51Hello.
19:52Hello.
19:53Hello, sir. My name is Anugash Rat.
19:54I'm a senior business.
19:55My question is Rhandir Jaiswal, sir.
19:58And one is Mokesh Mangal, sir.
20:01First, the shipping ministry.
20:02Sir, this is the same way.
20:04This is the same way.
20:06Iran has said that straight of foremost, we have given alternate routes, minefields.
20:13And the Indian flag ship was able to go straight from the state of foremost,
20:17the status changed.
20:19And the same way, if they are completely blocked the Indian ship.
20:24What will it happen to be that?
20:26How will it happen to be that?
20:38How many Indians are in Iran or are there in the conflict zone and are there any other plans in
20:46this time?
21:08How do we see it?
21:53How do we see it?
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