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India's strategic petroleum reserve can last 74 days to meet the demand arising out of any global turbulence, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, the minister said for any country like India, which is growing at a phenomenal pace, there must be a very viable and secure reserve, so that it is not in a vulnerable situation in the case of global turbulence. He said India has several refineries both in the West coast as well as the East. "According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), today we are the world's third largest consumer of crude oil. We have the world's fourth largest refining capacity - currently around 260 million metric tonne per annum going on to 320 million metric tonne per annum. And, we are also the world's fifth largest exporter of petroleum products. "The strategic petroleum reserve is designed to ensure that in case of total global turbulence, we must have enough stock left to
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said that more than 11 lakh appointment letters have been issued nationwide since the launch of the Rozgar Mela, reinforcing the government's commitment to mission-mode recruitment. Puri highlighted India's strong development vision, advancement in global standing and expansion in manufacturing, exports, logistics, renewable energy and digital infrastructure. Emphasising the inclusive nature of growth, he said, "We are not just pursuing development, but development with social inclusion." Promoting the resolve of a developed India with the power of the youth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Rozgar Melas at 45 different locations across the country through a video message, during which more than 61,000 appointment letters were distributed to newly recruited youths, an official statement said here. As part of this initiative, the Transport Battalion, Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force, Behlana Camp, Chandigarh, organised the 18th ...
Ethanol-blended petrol has greatly benefitted farmers and resulted in saving of over Rs 1.40 lakh crore of foreign exchange, Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday. Amid concerns over the use of ethanol-blended petrol, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said after extensive testing, no adverse impact has been found in cars where ethanol mixed petrol is used. "Use of E-20 petrol (Ethanol Blended Petrol) is a healthy trend. It is a green transition. It is less polluted and also saves foreign exchange," he said in Lok Sabha during Question Hour. Gadkari said due to the mixing of ethanol in petrol, Rs 40,000 crore has been given to the farmers for the raw materials used -- sugarcane, maize etc. -- in ethanol. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said following the implementation of the ethanol blending programme, money which was earlier spent on crude oil imports is now going to farmers, who have become "Urjadaatas" apart from being "Annadatas". He said during th
State-owned ONGC has signed an agreement with global energy giant BP to collaborate on drilling multiple stratigraphic wells in India. This partnership will enhance geological understanding and unlock untapped hydrocarbon potential, strengthening India's long-term energy security, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) said in a post on X. "#ONGC has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with @bp_plc on 17 July 2025, to collaborate on drilling stratigraphic wells in India's Category II & III offshore sedimentary basins: Andaman, Mahanadi, Saurashtra, and Bengal," the oil major said. The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on the sidelines of Urja Varta 2025 event in the national capital. Pankaj Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said this was one of the initiatives that "we have been talking about sometime ... called stratigraphic wells." This is the first of the series of such
India, the world's third-largest oil importer and fourth-biggest gas buyer, has enough energy supplies to meet requirements for several weeks and continues to receive supplies from several routes, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said amid escalating tensions in the globe's biggest energy supply regions. In a post on X, the minister said the government has been "closely monitoring the evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East since the past two weeks." "Under the leadership of PM @narendramodi Ji, we have diversified our supplies in the past few years and a large volume of our supplies do not come through the Strait of Hormuz now," he said. The Strait of Hormuz, which Iran is threatening to shut down following US strikes on its nuclear facilities, is an important transit for oil coming from the Middle East. About 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil out of India's total import of 5.5 million bpd transits through the narrow waterway. However, India has diversified ..
India, the world's third-largest oil importer and fourth biggest gas buyer, has enough energy supplies for the coming months, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said amid escalating tensions in the globe's biggest energy supply regions. In a post on X, the minister said he held a periodic review of energy availability scenario with the captains of the Indian oil industry. "India's energy strategy is shaped by successfully navigating the trilemma of energy availability, affordability and sustainability," he said. "We have adequate energy supplies for the coming months." Global oil prices have jumped to their highest level since January after Israel struck Iran, in a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East. The rate of the benchmark Brent crude was up by more than 10 per cent shortly after the news emerged, but eased a little. Brent was trading close to USD 75 a barrel, up more than 5 per cent over Thursday's close. India imports more than 85 per cent of its crude oil needs
Government owned Oil India Ltd (OIL) has commenced natural gas production from the Bakhri Tibba block, located in the desert belt near the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district. The commencement of natural gas production was announced by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri. Taking to social media platform 'X', the Union Minister hailed the milestone as a testament to the company's resilience and commitment. "This milestone is a shining example of Oil India Ltd's resilience, resolve and responsibility in delivering energy under challenging frontier conditions," Puri posted on Monday. He further said, "I commend the relentless efforts of the Oil India team, who brave extreme situations daily to ensure stable energy flow. Every hydrocarbon molecule produced brings us closer to energy security and self-reliance," he added. Oil India has begun production from the DSF-III (Discovered Small Field) block in Bakhri Tibba. The operation is situ
Oil and gas companies will not face any new taxes like the windfall profits tax after the coming into effect of a new law that promises stability of fiscal regime, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said. Parliament has passed the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2024 that provides policy stability to investors, decriminalises provisions and promotes ease of doing business. "After this bill, it will be difficult to levy (new taxes like) windfall tax because somebody will sue us (for failing to keep the promise of fiscal stability)," he said at a reception he hosted to celebrate the passage of the bill. Investors looking to invest in finding and producing oil and gas want fiscal stability, and new taxes that seek to take away gains made when prices are high, without compensating for low or no margins when rates are low, are often a deterrent. India imposed a windfall profit tax on July 1, 2022 joining a growing number of nations that tax super normal profits of energy