New Delhi: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday stressed the need to ensure medium- to long-term preparedness and quick decision-making process to deal with the impact of the evolving crisis in West Asia.Rajnath made the remarks while chairing the first meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) set up to monitor the situation in West Asia. The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Power Minister Manohar Lal, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister JP Nadda, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Prahlad Joshi, Civil Aviation Minister KR Naidu and Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh.
As part of the meeting, seven Empowered Groups of Secretaries (EGoS) made presentations outlining the key sectoral issues identified and the policy measures that have been taken to manage the situation. Rajnath directed EGoS to continue to closely monitor the situation, adopt a medium- to long-term preparedness approach, maintain high-level coordination and ensure prompt decision-making.He emphasized that various policies and measures must be coordinated and implemented within a time limit. He also sought constructive input from all relevant ministers to ensure India remains resilient and prepared.Rajnath later posted on All the measures being taken by the Government of India were discussed in depth. ““There was an in-depth discussion on all the measures being taken by the Indian government. The NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely monitoring the situation and is committed to protecting the people of India from the impact of the conflict,” he said. The need to assess the impact of the situation on various industries was also discussed.The Ministry of Defense said it has also directed all ministries and departments to share information, developments and advice related to the current situation through the MIB WhatsApp channel to ensure the dissemination of accurate information to citizens and effectively counter rumours, misinformation and fake news.
