New Delhi, March 24 – The Centre has formed seven empowered groups of officials and experts to manage the impact of the Iran war on specific sectors of the Indian economy, including oil, gas, fertilizers, supply chains, and inflation.
The empowered groups, comprising senior officials from the Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Secretariat, were formed based on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi following a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review the evolving situation arising from the ongoing conflict in West Asia and assess measures to mitigate its impact on India.
The first of the seven empowered committees focuses on strategic issues, including defense, external affairs, and public order. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is the convenor of the panel, which also includes Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.
Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Anuradha Thakur, has been appointed as the convenor of a panel tasked with monitoring economic, financial, and supply chain-related issues, including export and import challenges.
The panel also includes Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal, Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju, Expenditure Secretary V Vualnam, Labour and Employment Secretary Vandana Gurnani, Heavy Industries Secretary Kamran Rizvi, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Secretary SCL Das, and Amardeep Singh Bhatia, secretary in charge of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary Neeraj Mittal is the convenor for the third group of secretaries on petroleum, LNG, LPG, and energy matters, which includes secretaries from the ministries of power, coal, and mines, as well as the chiefs of ONGC, IOC, and GAIL.
A group to oversee the impact of fertilizer and agricultural inputs has Fertilizers Secretary Rajat Kumar Mishra as the convenor, and includes secretaries in the Departments of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, as well as Agricultural Research and Education. CEOs of major fertilizer companies have also been included in the panel to provide feedback on the real-time market situation.
Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare is the convenor of a panel on prices and essential commodities, which includes representatives from the Departments of Pharmaceuticals, Health and Family Welfare, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
Ports, Shipping and Waterways Secretary Vijay Kumar is the convenor of an empowered group tasked with transport and logistics-related issues, which includes Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, Road Transport and Highways Secretary V Umashankar, and Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar.
A seventh panel on information, communication, and public engagement is convened by Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju, and includes senior officials from the ministries of petroleum and natural gas, fertilizers, shipping, consumer affairs, and external affairs.
The key objectives of these empowered groups include assessing risks to energy supplies and pricing, and developing measures to address supply disruptions. Monitoring the domestic availability and price stability of essential commodities is also included.