India turns to Africa for oil: Rajnath says no shortage of fuel, LPG output at record high

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said India has started purchasing oil from African nations such as Nigeria and signed new supply contracts to safeguard fuel availability amid the ongoing West Asia crisis. He urged citizens not to resort to panic buying of petrol, diesel, or LPG.

Singh chaired the sixth meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Group of Ministers (IGoM) to review the availability of essential commodities and assess the resilience of India’s supply chains as tensions in West Asia continue to disrupt global energy markets.

In a post on X after the meeting, Singh said the government had taken multiple steps under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure uninterrupted supplies of essential commodities.

“The 6th meeting of IGoM was held to review the availability of essential commodities and the resilience of our supply chains, keeping the West Asia situation in mind,” Singh said.

“The Government, under the leadership of PM Modi has been doing excellent work since the conflict in West Asia broke out. The GoM expressed gratitude to PM Modi for his farsighted vision and for providing outstanding leadership during difficult times.”

According to discussions in the meeting, the government informed ministers that there was no shortage of fuel or essential supplies in the country. “The supply situation in the country today is normal. The Citizens should avoid panic purchase of petrol, diesel, and LPG as the Govt is pulling out all stops to ensure the availability of all essential items,” the defence minister said.