New Delhi, March 24 (NationPress) The Indian government has established seven specialized groups of officials and experts to address the repercussions of the Iran conflict on critical sectors of the economy, such as oil, gas, fertilizers, supply chains, and inflation.

These empowered groups, consisting of high-ranking officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet Secretariat, were formed following directives from Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting aimed at evaluating the evolving circumstances stemming from the ongoing West Asia crisis and identifying strategies to alleviate its effects on India.

The first of the seven committees is concentrated on strategic matters including defence, external affairs, and public order. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has been appointed as the convenor of this panel, which also includes Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

Anuradha Thakur, Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, will lead a panel focused on monitoring the economy, finance, and supply chain issues, which encompasses both export and import challenges.

This committee also features 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, the secretary for the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.

Neeraj Mittal, Secretary of Petroleum and Natural Gas, will convene the third group focusing on petroleum, LNG, LPG, and energy matters, which includes secretaries from the ministries of power, coal, and mines, along with leaders from ONGC, IOC, and GAIL.

A group concentrating on the influence of fertilizers and agricultural inputs will be led by Fertilisers Secretary Rajat Kumar Mishra, and will comprise secretaries from the Departments of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, as well as Agricultural Research and Education. The panel will also include CEOs from major fertilizer companies to provide insights on the current market conditions.

Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare will lead a panel addressing pricing and essential commodities, which incorporates representatives from the Departments of Pharmaceuticals, Health and Family Welfare, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.

The Secretary of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Vijay Kumar, will head an empowered group focused on transport and logistics, including Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, Road Transport and Highways Secretary V Umashankar, and Railway Board chairman and CEO Satish Kumar.

The seventh panel, which will deal with information, communication, and public engagement, will be led by Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju, and will include senior officials from the ministries of petroleum and natural gas, fertilizers, shipping, consumer affairs, and external affairs.

The overarching objectives of these empowered groups include evaluating risks associated with energy supplies and pricing, as well as strategies to address supply disruptions. Monitoring the domestic availability and price stability of essential commodities is also a key focus.