[🇮🇳] India---News & Views

[Bilal9]

The oil price per barrel will reach $200 in near future. Being a large economy India is able to absorb economic shock arising from increased oil price. The same cannot be said about Bangladesh. We need to buy oil from Russia at a much cheaper price to reduce pressure on the economy. To buy oil from Russia requires the US nod of approval.

We are all in the same boat.

India is already rationing petroleum and LPG/Propane cylinders. Their ability to absorb shock is limited as they have scarce reserves themselves. These are all imported items - made by processing crude. I would not believe their propaganda.

Even if Modi grovels at Putin's feet, Putin won't budge. I have heard reports that mention, Putin has increased crude price for India at three times what used to be, prior to Trump's action with Iran.

The Thai tanker crossing the Hormuz Strait that got bombed by the Iranians was a Thai-owned tanker headed for Kandla, where Adani has a refinery. Goodbye to that crude for India.

Bangladeshi tankers have been given explicit green signal by the Iranians - Thank Allah.

It is tragicomic how the incumbent leadership in India, always chooses the wrong side in any conflict.

 

[Saif]

India confident of meeting summer power demand despite Middle East gas shock

India does not expect the Middle East crisis to affect its ability to meet soaring power demand this summer, as the country has lined up coal and renewable capacity ‌to make up for any gas supply issues, a senior government official said on Saturday. Although gas accounts for only around 2%

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

India confident of meeting summer power demand despite Middle East gas shock

REUTERS
Published :
Mar 21, 2026 22:35
Updated :
Mar 21, 2026 22:35

A general view of electricity pylons in Mumbai, India, October 13, 2021. Photo : REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

India does not expect the Middle East crisis to affect its ability to meet soaring power demand this summer, as the country has lined up coal and renewable capacity ‌to make up for any gas supply issues, a senior government official said on Saturday.

Although gas accounts for only around 2% of India's total power generation, the South Asian country uses about 8 gigawatts (GW) of gas power during peak-demand periods or heat waves.

"We are quite hopeful that this (Middle East) crisis is ⁠not going to impact us in terms of meeting demand," India's Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal told Reuters on the sidelines of a power industry event.

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has hit gas supplies, forcing suppliers to declare force majeure notices to customers and leaving India, the world's second-largest liquefied petroleum gas importer, facing its worst cooking gas crisis in decades as shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have been almost halted.

India is expecting a 4 GW coal power plant in the western state ‌of ⁠Gujarat to be restarted and additionally has a lot of wind energy projects on the verge of supplying electricity to the grid, Agarwal said.

There is enough solar power available to meet the peak day time power demand of 270 GW and the government is also ⁠working on speeding up completion of battery energy storage projects to meet evening demand, he added.

"About 2.5 gigawatt hours of battery storage is already under commissioning, and we hope that ⁠gets commissioned very fast," Agarwal said.

Meanwhile, India has produced 1 billion metric tons of coal for a second successive year, the coal ministry said on Saturday, which ⁠could be enough to meet summer power demand.

India has asked its domestic coal-based utilities to be prepared for supplying uninterrupted power in the absence of gas supplies, Reuters reported earlier this month.​

 

[Saif]

https://en.ittefaq.com.bd/15811/fuel-prices-rise-in-india-amid-mideast-tensions

Fuel prices rise in India amid Mideast tensions

Representational image. Collected photo.

Fuel prices in India increased on Friday, with premium petrol and industrial diesel becoming more expensive due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

According to oil marketing companies, the price of premium petrol went up by about 2.30 Indian rupees per litre, while industrial diesel saw a much bigger jump of around 22 rupees per litre. The new prices took effect immediately.

The rise in fuel costs is linked to instability in the Middle East, which has been affecting global oil markets and supply.

Higher industrial diesel prices are expected to impact key sectors such as manufacturing, transport and power generation. This could lead to higher production and delivery costs, and eventually push up the prices of everyday goods, local media reported.

However, the government downplayed the increase in premium petrol prices, saying it would have limited impact as only a small portion — around 2 to 4 percent — of consumers use this type of fuel.​

 

[Saif]

India faces second year of sugar deficit as mills close early

India's sugar production is set to fall below consumption for a second straight year, as lower cane yields force mills to close faster than usual, trade officials told Reuters on Thursday. Lower output, coupled with rising exports, is likely to reduce domestic stockpiles and support local prices,

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

India faces second year of sugar deficit as mills close early

REUTERS
Published :
Apr 02, 2026 18:04
Updated :
Apr 02, 2026 18:04

India's sugar production is set to fall below consumption for a second straight year, as lower cane yields force mills to close faster than usual, trade officials told Reuters on Thursday.

Lower output, coupled with rising exports, is likely to reduce domestic stockpiles and support local prices, which had been under pressure due to surplus supplies.

"Sugar production is unlikely to exceed 28 million metric tons this season," said the India head of a global trade house based in Mumbai.

"Most sugar mills have already closed, with only a few still operational, which are expected to close in the coming weeks."

At the start of the season, industry bodies including the Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) and the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd (NFCSF) had forecast production of around 31 million tons, against local demand of 28.5 to 29 million tons.

However, lower cane yields due to excessive rainfall had forced 467 of the 541 mills that began operations this year to shut by the end of March, according to NFCSF data. Last year, 420 mills had closed by the same time.

Indian sugar mills produced 27.12 million tons of sugar in the first half of the 2025/26 marketing year ending in Sept 2026, up 9 percent from a year earlier, NFCSF data showed.

Almost all mills in Maharashtra and Karnataka, India's largest and third-largest sugar-producing states, have shut earlier than expected, said a New Delhi-based dealer with a global trade house.

"The government allowed exports hoping for a large surplus. But now it is certain that production will not even meet domestic consumption," said the dealer.

In February, India raised its sugar export quota to 2 million tons, adding 500,000 tons to the 1.5 million tons approved earlier.

After last year's drop in production, the industry was counting on this season to increase stocks and export surplus, but lower output will reduce opening stocks for the next season, said an official with a leading industry body, who declined to be named.

"This season began with opening stocks of 5 million tons, but the next season will start with less than 4 million tons. This should help firm up sugar prices," the official said.​