New Delhi, June 29 (IANS). Former ONGC Director (Exploration) Sushma Rawat said on Monday that the Indian government handled the energy crisis that arose after the Gulf crisis in West Asia and the US-Israel attack on Iran very effectively. He said that the government not only ensured uninterrupted supply of fuel in the country but also protected consumers from sharp increase in fuel prices.
In a special conversation with news agency IANS on India’s energy security amid geopolitical tensions in West Asia, Sushma Rawat said that the government’s crisis management was commendable and despite the turmoil in the global energy market, fuel supply in the country remained normal.
She said, “The Indian government handled the Gulf crisis caused by the Iran war very well. If I had to give marks to the government’s response, I would give 8.5 to 9 marks out of 10. In a country with a huge population like India, there are about 3 crore LPG consumers and a huge oil-gas network. Despite this, there was no shortage of fuel anywhere in the country.”
Sushma Rawat told IANS that during this period there was a huge jump in the prices of crude oil in the international market. Prices reached around $120 per barrel and remained around $116 per barrel for several days.
He said, “In many countries of the world, fuel prices increased by 24 to 30 percent, while in some countries this increase reached 40 percent. But in India, keeping in mind the convenience of the common people and to ensure that there is no additional financial burden on them, initially the fuel prices were increased only by about 2 to 3 percent.”
Sushma Rawat said that India is continuously moving towards becoming self-reliant in the field of energy. The country has made significant progress especially in the field of renewable energy and alternative fuels.
He said that renewable energy now accounts for 51 percent of India’s total installed power generation capacity.
He also mentioned the success of the ethanol blending programme. According to him, India has achieved the target of blending 20 percent ethanol in petrol well ahead of schedule.
He said, “We are continuously growing stronger in the field of renewable energy and new progress is being made in this direction every day.”
–IANS
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