‘Some people trying to create panic’: PM Modi plays down LPG crisis; targets opposition | India News
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke about the energy crisis in the country due to the ongoing conflict between US and Israel’s joint forces with Iran. While addressing the NXT summit, the Prime Minister indirectly targeted those who were “trying to create panic” and claimed that by doing so they were exposing themselves to the public.“We have to make a concerted effort, keeping national interest at the forefront and fulfilling our responsibilities. These days, there is a lot of talk about LPG. There are some people who are trying to create panic. They want to push their own agenda,” said PM Modi. He further said, “I don’t want to make political comments about them at this moment. But I must say that they are not only exposing themselves to the public but also doing great harm to the country.”The Prime Minister said that the government has prioritized self-reliance in the energy sector so that the country does not have to depend solely on foreign sources for energy.“To ensure that we don’t have to rely solely on foreign sources for energy, emphasis was placed on self-reliance in the energy sector. Till 2014, the country had only 14 crore LPG connections. Today, that is more than double – 33 crore household LPG connections. In 2014, the country had only 4 LNGM connections,” Modi said.“Today, their number has also doubled. Today, no country is untouched by the impact of this global crisis. To a greater or lesser extent, everyone is a victim of this crisis. India too is leaving no stone unturned to tackle this crisis,” he added.The Prime Minister also said that the government is doing its best to ensure that the burden of the situation arising out of the war does not fall on the citizens of India.“The Government of India has always tried its best to ensure that the burden of the situation arising out of war does not fall on the citizens of India,” he said.“Once again, we will do our best to ensure that the war has the least possible impact on the lives of farmers and citizens of the country,” he added.Fears of LPG shortages have started spreading across the country as the escalating conflict in the Middle East disrupts the global energy supply chain.The closure of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran retaliated against the US-Israeli attack led to panic shopping, long queues at LPG agencies and petrol pumps, and forced restaurants and small businesses to switch to alternative cooking methods.With some measures to increase domestic LPG production by 28 percent and use some alternative sources abroad, the government has decided to allow commercial LPG sales to meet a fifth of demand, said Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the oil ministry.“State governments have to identify the beneficiaries,” he said.As panic buying escalated, the government extended the LPG refill order window for rural users to 45 days, which was set at 25 days for all users last week, itself replacing the earlier limit of 21 days. He said the move was aimed at managing demand and ensuring equitable distribution amid ongoing fuel supply disruptions due to the West Asian crisis.The increase in monthly kerosene quota announced by states is the first in over a decade and temporarily reverses the government’s stated intention to phase out the fuel, which was used to adulterate petrol without heavy subsidies.
