Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today speak in the Lok Sabha on the ongoing conflict in West Asia, news agency ANI said. The address is scheduled 2 PM during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament.
The address comes amid heightened tensions in West Asia, with disruptions in critical maritime corridors and growing concerns over the safety of Indian nationals in the Gulf nations.
This will be the first time Prime Minister Modi will speak in Parliament about the escalation of the conflict. Earlier, the prime minister spoke with leaders in the region, including those of Iran and other Arab nations, many times since the conflict began after US-Israel strikes on Iran on 28 February.
Before Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefed both houses of Parliament on the West Asia Crisis on 9 March.
In the address, the Prime Minister is expected to outline India’s position on the evolving situation, including its diplomatic engagement, concerns over regional stability, and the impact on global energy and trade routes, the news agency said.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed the formation of a group of ministers and secretaries to work diligently to address the situation arising from the West Asia conflict.
PM Modi gave these directions while chairing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review the situation and ongoing and proposed mitigating measures in the context of ongoing West Asia Conflict.
The Prime Minister’s Office, the Cabinet Secretary, gave a detailed presentation on the global situation and the mitigating measures taken so far and being planned regarding the conflict by all concerned Ministries/Departments of the Government of India.
The expected impact and measures to address it across sectors such as agriculture, fertilisers, food security, petroleum, power, MSMEs, exporters, shipping, trade, finance, supply chains, and all affected sectors were discussed. The overall macro-economic scenario in the country and further measures to be taken were also discussed.
In Sunday’s meeting, the prime minister said that the conflict is an evolving situation and the entire world is affected in some form. In such a situation, all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens from the impact of this conflict. PM instructed that all arms of government should work together to ensure the least inconvenience to the citizens.
PM Modi also asked for proper coordination with state governments to ensure there is no black-marketing or hoarding of essential commodities.
