NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that there is “no dearth of fuel or gas in the country” and India is ready to deal with the energy crisis resulting from the ongoing West Asia conflict.In the first official acknowledgement of a TOI report that said Indian Navy had launched ‘Operations Urja Suraksha’ to provide security to India-bound cargo vessels in the conflict zone, Rajnath announced that “our Navy is safely escorting Indian tankers out of the Strait of Hormuz”, the key chokepoint for maritime trade during the Gulf conflict.Speaking at a Sainik Samman Sammelan in poll-bound Kerala, the minister further said that “PM Modi was using his diplomatic skills to protect Indian interests” in the Gulf region. “We are closely monitoring the state of affairs in West Asia and are prepared to deal with any situation,” Rajnath said. The minister said the Opposition, instead of standing firm with the nation during this time of crisis, is indulging in “petty politics”.In Mumbai, addressing the flag-off ceremony for the 2nd edition of IOS SAGAR, Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said, “Competition at sea is no longer confined to oil and energy. It is now expanding towards resources that will shape future growth — such as rare earth elements, critical minerals, new fishing grounds and even data.“As a result, there is a significant increase in marine survey, deep-sea research activity and illegal unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), often encroaching upon the sovereign rights of littoral nations and exploiting gaps in monitoring and enforcement,” the Navy chief said.
