West Asia Crisis: Rajnath Singh Chairs High-Level Ministerial Meet, Pushes Long-Term Preparedness
The high-level meeting, held at Kartavya Bhawan in the national capital, brought together key members of the Union Cabinet including Nirmala Sitharaman, Kiren Rijiju, Hardeep Singh Puri, Manohar Lal Khattar, Jagat Prakash Nadda, Prahlad Joshi, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, and Jitendra Singh.
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday chaired the first meeting of an Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) to assess the evolving situation in West Asia and its potential impact on India, calling for a coordinated and forward-looking response to emerging challenges.
The high-level meeting, held at Kartavya Bhawan in the national capital, brought together key members of the Union Cabinet including Nirmala Sitharaman, Kiren Rijiju, Hardeep Singh Puri, Manohar Lal Khattar, Jagat Prakash Nadda, Prahlad Joshi, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, and Jitendra Singh.
Taking stock of sector-wise implications, the IGoM reviewed presentations by seven Empowered Groups of Secretaries (EGoS), which outlined key risks and the policy measures already initiated to manage the situation.
Rajnath Singh emphasised the need for a medium- to long-term preparedness strategy, urging ministries to remain vigilant and ensure swift, time-bound decision-making. He stressed that policy responses must be well-coordinated and implemented in synergy to strengthen India’s resilience in the face of global uncertainties.
The Defence Minister also highlighted the importance of close coordination with states and district administrations, particularly in ensuring effective ground-level implementation and timely communication of government measures.
A key focus of the meeting was tackling misinformation amid rising public anxiety. Ministries and departments were directed to proactively share verified updates and advisories through official channels, including the MIB WhatsApp platform, to counter rumours, fake news, and misleading narratives.
The IGoM also discussed the need to continuously assess the impact of the West Asia developments across sectors such as energy, supply chains, and industry, ensuring that mitigation strategies remain responsive and adaptive.
In a post-meeting message, Rajnath Singh reiterated that the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is committed to safeguarding citizens from any adverse fallout of the conflict.
The formation of the IGoM and its first review meeting signal a calibrated approach by the Centre to manage external shocks while maintaining economic and supply stability at home.
