Lockdown in India? Oil Minister Hardeep Puri addresses the rumours

The Indian government on Friday issued a clarification on rumours of a possible lockdown in the country, stating they are "completely false" and no such proposal is under consideration.

"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," Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said in a post on X. "Attempts to spread rumours and create panic in such a situation are irresponsible and harmful."

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As the Israel-Iran war is set to enter its fifth week, Puri noted that the global situation remains in flux, and the government is closely monitoring developments across energy, supply chains, and essential commodities on a real-time basis.

He asserted that all necessary steps are being taken to ensure an uninterrupted availability of fuel, energy, and other critical supplies for Indians.

"We are fully prepared to handle emerging challenges," he said, adding that India has consistently demonstrated resilience in the face of global uncertainties and will continue to act in a timely, proactive, and coordinated manner.

Puri's comments come at a time when global oil and gas shortages have sparked rumours of a potential lockdown in India, as the government has officially said that the situation of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) supply remains 'worrisome'.

The government, through regular Inter-Ministerial Briefings, has reiterated that there is no shortage of fuel in the country, and there is no need for a "National Energy Emergency" declaration as New Delhi is a net exporter of petroleum products to the world.

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Oil companies have also taken steps to increase credit to petrol pumps to over three days from the earlier allowed one day in order to ensure that there is no shortage of petrol and diesel at any pump due to working capital issues of pump owners.

The Centre informed that India is currently receiving more crude oil from its 41-plus suppliers across the world than what was previously arriving through the Straits. Amid the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, high volumes of crude oil are available in international markets, especially from the western hemisphere. These have more than compensated for any disruption, the government said in a release.

Amid rumours of oil and gas shortage, the government announced "there is no supply gap," and informed that crude oil supplies for next 60 days have already been tied up by domestic oil companies.

In an interview to ANI, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reassured people that there shall not be any lockdown in India.

" 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.