CCS reviews situation arising due to conflict in West Asia

NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Sunday reviewed the situation arising out of the conflict in West Asia and a detailed assessment was made on the availability of critical needs of the common people, including food, energy and fuel security, an official statement said here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who chaired the meeting, directed that a group of ministers and secretaries be created to work dedicatedly in a whole-of-government approach to deal with the effects of the West Asia conflict.

Medium and long-term measures to ensure the continued availability of essential needs were discussed in detail at the meeting.

“The ongoing conflict in West Asia will have significant short, medium and long-term impact on the global economy and its effect on India were assessed and counter-measures, both immediate and long-term, were discussed,” the statement said after the CCS meeting.

The CCS, which is the highest decision-making body on security and strategic matters of the country, carried out a detailed assessment of the availability of critical needs of the common man, including food, energy and fuel security.

The expected impact and measures taken to address it across sectors like agriculture, fertilisers, food security, petroleum, power, MSMEs, exporters, shipping, trade, finance, supply chains and all affected sectors were discussed, the statement said.

The overall macro-economic scenario in the country and further measures to be taken were also discussed.

The impact on farmers and their requirement for fertiliser for the Kharif season was assessed.

The measures taken in the last few years to maintain adequate stocks of fertilisers will ensure timely availability and food security, it said.

Alternative sources of fertilizers were also discussed to ensure continued availability in the future.

It was also determined that an adequate supply of coal stocks at all power plants will ensure no shortage of electricity in India.

Several measures were discussed to diversify the sources of imports required by chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals and other industrial sectors.

Similarly new export destinations to promote Indian goods will be developed in the near future, the statement said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are members of the CCS, which is headed by the Prime Minister. (PTI)