Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday refuted rumours of lockdown in the country amid LPG shortage, and assured all that no such restrictions will be imposed in the country. She said, "I want to reassure people that there shall not be any lockdown..."
She said that she is surprised to know that some leaders are saying there will be a lockdown and there will be shortages of fuel. "I am surprised that some leaders are saying there will be a lockdown and there will be shortages of fuel. These are baseless. Such remarks coming from those in political domains are worrisome. There will be no lockdown such as we saw during Covid. I want to reassure people that there shall be no such lockdown as we saw in Covid," she said.
Earlier in the day, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri made it clear that there will be no lockdown of the country, which was previously implemented during the pandemic period. He also criticised rumours of lockdown, calling it "irresponsible and harmful" is such a situation.
"Rumours of a lockdown in India are completely false. Let me state this clearly, there is no such proposal under consideration by the Government of India. In such times, it is important that we remain calm, responsible, and united. Attempts to spread rumours and create panic in such a situation are irresponsible and harmful," Puri said on X.
Hardeep Singh Puri reiterated the country's position in the ongoing energy crisis and said the global situation remains in flux. “We are closely monitoring developments across energy, supply chains, and essential commodities on a real-time basis. Under the leadership of Hon'ble PM @narendramodi Ji, all necessary steps are being taken to ensure uninterrupted availability of fuel, energy, and other critical supplies for our citizens. We are fully prepared to handle emerging challenges. India has consistently demonstrated resilience in the face of global uncertainties, and we will continue to act in a timely, proactive, and coordinated manner," he stated.
Apart from this, Nirmala Sitharaman earlier in the day welcomed the cuts in excise duty of Petrol and Diesel as announced by the government and said the main aim of such a move was to insulate consumers from the rising price of Crude Oil due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
"First of all, whenever such a crisis comes in the world and its impact falls on India, before this whether it was COVID or now, the way the Honourable Prime Minister immediately responds to it is so that the burden doesn't fall on the public and the public doesn't face any difficulty or shortage of petrol, diesel, and LPG. For this reason, now, because prices are rising in the international market of crude oil, and because of that, petrol, diesel, and ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel), the Honourable Prime Minister wanted the consumer price not to increase. For that reason, we have decided to support Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) so that the government will help them with the things they are buying at higher prices, but the rate should not be increased for the public," she said.
"Yesterday, on the day of Ram Navami, the Honourable Prime Minister called an emergency meeting and held a discussion on these topics and immediately took a decision. And whatever work had to be done, our ministry and the Petroleum Ministry sat together last night and did the work, and today we are announcing this decision," she added.
The government on Friday slashed excise duties for petrol and diesel bringing them down to Rs 3 per litre of petrol and zero for a litre of diesel. Windfall tax on export of diesel has been set at 21.5 rupees/litre. The reduction comes amid a global energy crisis due to the US-Israel war on Iran and the consequent Tehran-imposed blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's crude oil and gas supply, between 20 and 25 million barrels per day, is shipped. Before the conflict, India bought 12 to 15 per cent of that oil.
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