Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the first meeting of the Informal Empowered Group of Ministers (IGoM) on Saturday to monitor the evolving situation in West Asia. He emphasised medium to long-term preparedness, swift decision-making and countering rumours and fake news. The group took a holistic stock of the conflict's impact on various sectors in India.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the first meeting of the Informal Empowered Group of Ministers (IGoM), formed to monitor the developing situation in West Asia, on Saturday. According to a Ministry of Defence statement, Singh emphasised adopting a medium to long-term preparedness strategy, maintaining high-level coordination and ensuring swift decision-making. He highlighted the need for a "proactive, coordinated and forward-looking approach" while underscoring the importance of remaining vigilant amid the evolving scenario.
The seven Empowered Groups of Secretaries (EGoS) made presentations outlining key sectoral issues and existing policy measures. The IGoM took a holistic stock of the situation and its impact on various sectors in India. Singh directed that all policy efforts remain in synergy and be implemented in a time-bound manner.
Singh instructed ministries and departments to share information to counter rumours, misinformation and fake news about the conflict's impact. He directed dissemination of accurate information through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's WhatsApp Channel. The group reaffirmed the need for close coordination with states and district administrations, along with timely communication of key policy initiatives to the public. The meeting also discussed assessing the impact across various industries.
Attendees included Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Power Minister Manohar Lal, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister JP Nadda, Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh.
In a post on X after the meeting, Singh stated, "the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, is committed to safeguarding Indian people from any impact of the conflict." He noted in-depth discussions on measures addressing risks to energy supplies, domestic availability of essentials, critical infrastructure resilience and supply chain robustness.
