00:05earlier this year the middle east went to war iran israel the united states all pulled into a
00:13conflict that shook global energy markets oil prices surged shipping routes looked vulnerable
00:21and for countries dependent on imported fuel alarm bells started ringing but in india something
00:28unusual happened there was no fuel rationing no panic buying no long queues outside petrol pumps
00:36all stayed as is and that raises an important question how did india manage to stay stable
00:44while much of the world struggle the answer lies in preparation for years india has quietly been
00:52building what can only be described as an energy survival strategy back in 2006 india imported oil
00:59from around 27 countries today that number is over 40 russia venezuela the united states african nations
01:08india deliberately diversified its supply lines that strategy paid off during the crisis as tensions
01:16rose around the strait of homos the world's most critical oil choke point india already had
01:23alternatives in place in april 2026 alone india imported more than 12 million barrels of discounted
01:31heavy crude from venezuela but supply alone is not enough you also need to secure logistics india
01:39activated alternate maritime routes through oman and the uae reducing dependence on vulnerable stretches
01:47of the gut and when global wall risk insurance premiums shot up sharply india still managed to keep
01:53supplies flowing one image captured that moment perfectly an lpg vessel carrying more than 46 000 tons
02:03of cooking gas reaching vishaka patnam under indian naval escort that was just not logistics that was
02:11strategic capability on display the government also invoked the essential commodities act 1955 directing
02:19refineries to divert propane butane and butene output exclusively towards domestic lpg production in order to
02:28strengthen household fuel availability during the crisis india also had another major advantage
02:36the reserves when the crisis hit india had petroleum reserves covering nearly 74 days of demand
02:44that gave policy makers breathing room instead of reacting in panic india had the ability to stabilize
02:50supplies and protect consumers and then comes refining capacity a factor often ignored in
02:58public discussions india is now the world's fourth largest refiner and fifth largest exporter
03:05of petroleum products during the crisis refineries operated at high utilization rates domestic lpg production
03:13was ramped up while additional cargoes were secured from us russia and australia as global fuel prices
03:21fluctuated wildly india managed to keep retail petrol and diesel prices broadly stable through
03:28careful tax and supply management but perhaps the most important layer of this entire story was
03:34diplomacy india maintained working relationships simultaneously with iran israel the united states
03:41and gulf nations at a time when many countries were being forced to choose sides that diplomatic balance
03:49translated directly into energy security the external affairs ministry coordinated closely with gulf partners
03:57petroleum negotiations continued with katar and the uae india also joined consultations with dozens of
04:05countries aimed at keeping movement through the state of homos stable this is what strategic autonomy
04:13actually looks like not slogans but the ability to engage every side while protecting national interest and
04:21india's response was not limited to oil alone fertilizer security became critical because fertilizer production
04:28depends heavily on natural gas india secured large fertilizer reserves ahead of the kharib season helping
04:36protect the agricultural economy from global supply disruptions support systems were also rolled out for small
04:43businesses and aviation to absorb rising energy linked costs at the same time india conducted one of its
04:51largest civilian evacuation efforts in recent years helping nearly 4.75 lakh indian nationals from the
04:58conflict zone a critical move considering the gulf regions importance for indian workers and remittance flows
05:05now to be clear india is still heavily dependent on imported energy vulnerability remains
05:13geopolitical shocks will continue to affect the country but the larger takeaway from this crisis is important
05:20india did not suddenly become resilient during the war it had already spent years building reserves
05:28refining capacity alternate supply routes and diplomatic relationships before the crisis began
05:35and when the world faced disruption that preparation became visible that is a real story here india's
05:44energy security is still a work in progress but compared to where the country stood a decade ago the shift
05:50is
05:50significant the crisis did not create india's resilience it revealed it subscribe to one india and never miss an update
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