Govt sets up informal group of ministers over West Asia crisis

PTI

New Delhi

The government has set up an ‘informal group of ministers’ led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to look into the issues arising due to the West Asia conflict, sources said on Friday.

Union ministers Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman and Hardeep Singh Puri are among the members of the informal group of ministers (IGOM), they said.

The “arrangement” comes in view of the issues arising due to the impact of the West Asia conflict, the sources said.

The war in West Asia, which began after the US-Israel combine attacked Iran on February 28, prompting retaliatory strikes by Tehran across the Gulf region, has now stretched into four weeks, with no immediate end in sight. It has impacted the global economy, including oil and gas prices, which have had repercussions on the lives of citizens across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reviewed the preparedness and plans of the chief ministers of all but poll-bound states in the wake of the West Asia conflict.

The virtual meeting was aimed at ensuring synergy of efforts in the spirit of ‘Team India’, official sources said. It was the first such meeting the Prime Minister held with the chief ministers after the conflict broke out in West Asia.

On March 23, Modi had said that the difficult global conditions caused by the West Asia conflict are likely to persist for a long time, and called upon the nation to remain prepared and united, just as it stood together during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement in the Lok Sabha, Modi spoke on the impact of the war on fuel, fertilisers, national security and other areas in India as well as on its nationals living in West Asia, detailing the steps taken by the government to ensure that “ordinary families face as little trouble as possible”. He also said a unanimous voice should go out to the world from India’s Parliament on this crisis.

On March 24, Modi announced the constitution of seven empowered groups to deal with the potential long-term impacts of the conflict, and urged the states to work with the Centre in a ‘Team India’ approach to ward off the crisis.

Noting that the situation is constantly changing in West Asia, Modi said its adverse effects are likely to persist for an extended time, and called upon citizens to remain prepared for every eventuality.

On Wednesday, an all-party meeting was convened by the government to discuss the West Asia crisis.