BY SANJEEB KUMAR SAHOO
Prior to discussing my opinions regarding the March 27 Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in #WestAsia and #HardeepSinghPuri’s tweets at 9:21 AM on March 27, I would like to point out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not have used the term “#Covid19” in his speeches in the #LokSabha on March 23 and the #RajyaSabha on March 24.
Additionally, the Prime Minister should not have used the term “Covid19” when he was chairing the meeting with chief ministers and lieutenant governors of states and union territories to review preparedness in light of the emerging situation in the West Asia crisis on March 27.
Let’s get straight to the subject. First, I would like to inform you that India’s oil minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, was once again avoiding accountability by using Twitter or X to announce his ministry’s related announcement on March 27 rather than informing it through press conferences.
But on March 27, at 9:21 AM, Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted that the government has taken a huge hit on its taxation revenues to ensure very high losses of oil companies (approximately Rs 24/litre for petrol and Rs 30/litre for diesel) at this time of sky-high international prices are reduced.
If India’s oil minister were to hold a press conference, he would also explain panic buying of #petrol and #diesel, as reported in some areas, due to rumours and the West Asia crisis.
On the other side, the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas issued a press release at 2:36 pm on 27 March stating that the government of India has lowered excise duty on both petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre with immediate effect.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas stated that retail pump prices of petrol and diesel will not change. The excise reduction is not being passed on as a price cut at the pump. Instead, it directly reduces the under-recoveries being absorbed by public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation — who have continued to supply fuel to Indian consumers at prices well below their cost of supply. At current international crude prices, under-recoveries stand at approximately Rs 26 per litre on petrol and Rs 81.90 per litre on diesel. The combined daily under-recovery being absorbed by OMCs is approximately Rs 2,400 crore. The excise reduction offsets Rs 10 per litre of these losses, ensuring OMCs can continue to supply fuel without disruption while keeping retail prices unchanged.
Regarding the March 27 inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia, I found nothing new during the March 27 press conference by Narendra Modi government officials at the National Media Centre in New Delhi.
However, I noticed that two additional officers had appeared during the press conference, as the previous six officers had appeared for press conferences.
Four ships, #JagVasant, #PineGas, #NandaDevi, and #Shivalik, have arrived in India via the Strait of Hormuz, while 20 Indian-flagged vessels with around 540 Indian seafarers remain in the western Persian Gulf region. The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) continues close monitoring in coordination with ship owners, RPSL agencies and Indian Missions.
I would like to conclude by stating that Prime Minister #NarendarModi will be inaugurating #NoidaInternationalAirport in #Jewar, #UttarPradesh, in a few minutes (today, March 27, 2026).
NOTE: The Persian Gulf, often known as the #ArabianGulf, is a West Asian Mediterranean Sea. Situated between #Iran (#Persia) and the #ArabianPeninsula, the body of water is an extension of the #ArabianSea and the wider #IndianOcean. The #StraitOfHormuz connects it to the Gulf of Oman in the east. The northwest coastline is formed by the Shatt al-Arab river delta.
#DrillBabyBrill.
