In a world where brutal force rather than diplomacy or dialogue is decisive, India needs to sharply reduce its vulnerabilities, increase its capacities and multiply its capabilities.. US has deployed its top warships in Middle East amid the ongoing war with Iran.. While US President Donald Trump has used the ‘might is right’ doctrine in Venezuela in January and now in Iran in tandem with Israel, Russia has used the same doctrine in Ukraine since February 2022 and China is using the same strong arm tactics against Taiwan for the past decade. Just as Ukraine has dragged Europe into its conflict with Moscow, Iran has triggered a global energy crisis by targeting commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf and made the entire Middle-East and beyond collateral damage to its war game plan.. The short-sightedness of the Indian governments in the past becomes evident when we realize that US and Russia are energy secure, rising power China has secured its energy needs through pipelines and long term contracts. A never say die votary of peace and non-alignment in the past, India is vulnerable as it is a major importer of oil, LNG, LPG and fertilizers. The Indian problem is compounded by the fact that it is not an original equipment manufacturer of major hardware platforms and depends on countries like Russia, France, Israel and US for its national security needs. The Indian armed forces would prefer to buy equipment from abroad as the Indian design, develop and manufacture PSUs take eons to deliver on a technology, which virtually gets outdated even before it is inducted into Indian armed forces.. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone blue in the face talking about ‘Aatmanirbharta’ and need to develop indigenous hardware platforms, the Indian reliance on imported platforms and stand-off weapons has not decreased dramatically as the civilian-military bureaucracy of the Indian national security does not trust the Indian defence sector and vice-versa as they always opt for the safest route.. With India being the fourth-largest economy and the fourth-largest military power, it does not behove us to rely on third parties for national or energy security needs when it comes to core issues of military manufacturing, external intelligence or science and technology development. On top of that, dragging the nation down are multiple bureaucratic compliances for any entrepreneur ready to do business in India.. But even before we start examining the solution to all these most urgent issues, India needs to be doctrinally clear in its mind as to what is the big objective of the country. Strategic autonomy becomes an exercise in obfuscation if it is a mere justification without implementation on ground. The Indian bureaucracy including diplomats still view the Modi government’s decisions from the prism of anti or pro US, Russia and now China. Weaned on non-alignment, socialism, “Aman ki Aasha” and Palestinian cause, a large section of Indian bureaucracy are 

 Concerns over LPG shortage amid the ongoing West Asia conflict are rippling across several Indian cities, raising worry about a wider supply crunch. Even as the government has cautioned people against panic causing rumors and urged calm, irregular supplies and a rise in prices of both domestic and commercial LPG have prompted households and businesses to look for alternatives fearing the shortage would grow.. Mumbai, India. Mar 11, 2026 – Due to a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders in Mumbai, restaurants and hotels are preparing food using coal Shagadi. The ongoing conflict in West Asia continues to disrupt the supply of commercial LPG cylinders, impacting restaurants and hotels across the city. Mumbai, India. Mar 11, 2026. (Raju Shinde). In Delhi, community kitchens such as langars and Atal canteens are cutting menu options. Mess operators in student areas of Pune report irregular cylinder availability and rising costs, while in Bengaluru auto-rickshaw drivers using LPG say sudden price increases have added to their expenses.. The shortage is linked to the escalating conflict in West Asia, which has disrupted energy supply routes and LPG shipments to several importing countries, including India.. Follow here for live updates. Stop selling snacks, only tea: Delhi’s canteens. In the national capital, several canteens in schools and colleges, where food prices are expected to remain concessional for students, are already feeling the strain.. One canteen at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has begun curtailing its menu, HT reported.. Vijay Mukhiya, who runs a canteen at the School of Languages, said he will stop selling snacks from Monday and only offer tea.. Students living on campus also said the popular Ganga Dhaba may limit its menu to tea and bread omelette, discontinuing other meals.. The Delhi School of Economics (DSE) canteen has also temporarily removed, among other things, its iconic mutton dosa from the menu. Owner Souvik Gupta said, “If the situation continues, we may have to remove several more items because we cannot increase food prices in university establishments where the rates are fixed.”. Also Read | After commercial LPG supply crisis, domestic consumers in Kerala face booking issues. Taking leave from work, never-ending queues in Mumbai. In Mumbai, single-cylinder households are among the worst hit, prompting many residents to take leave from work so they can wait for a refill. Queues were seen from Kandivali in the western suburbs to Dharavi and Bhandup in the eastern suburbs, HT reported.. While housing societies and residential complexes in large parts of Mumbai receive piped natural gas (PNG), older housing societies and lower socio-economic areas remain dependent on LPG suppliers.. In a slum colony in Malwani, Malad, Humale Yadavar, 44, had booked an LPG cylinder almost a month ago. On Thursday, Yadavar waited outside the LPG dealer’s office with his daughters for almost an hour before managing to fetch one cylinde 

 New Delhi, As the war in West Asia rages on, former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari has said the first takeaway for India is the necessity to build a “very strong air defence” with more weapon systems, radars and other operational capabilities.. Stronger air defence takeaway for India from West Asia conflict: Ex IAF chief. Interacting with PTI on the sidelines of a national conclave here on Thursday, Chaudhari referred to the use of drones in the conflicts in Ukraine and in West Asia, and said they are going to play a huge role in any future conflict, even as he cautioned that right now “we should not place all our bets just on drones”.. “Yes, they will supplement the existing efforts, but we cannot rely completely on drones to win a war for us,” the former IAF chief said.. On February 28, the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran, pounding it with bombs. Iran, in retaliation, attacked several Gulf nations hosting American military bases, impacting global aviation operations, oil prices and triggering a looming energy crisis.. Defence and strategic affairs experts from India and neighbouring countries are taking part in a three-day conclave that started on Wednesday and is being hosted by Synergia, a Bengaluru-based think-tank, at the Manekshaw Centre.. Chaudhari on Thursday delivered a keynote address at the conference on the theme ‘India’s Multi-domain Air Spine’.. On the sidelines, when asked if he foresaw an end to the West Asia conflict any time soon, the veteran military leader quipped, “Your guess is as good as mine.”. “I think primarily, the first takeaway from the ongoing conflict is the necessity to have a very strong air defence for the nation. And because what we have probably may not suffice in a conflict of this nature, which is going on there.. “So, in order to strengthen it, we need to have more weapon systems, more radars, more integration of all the systems, integration of the cyber capabilities, into all this. So that is the need of the hour to first and foremost have a very strong air defence network over the country,” Chaudhari told PTI Videos.. The conflict in West Asia remained the dominant topic of discussion in several sessions that have been held over the two days at the conclave.. Asked for key areas in terms of integration and jointness, the former IAF chief, before his address, said, “So… to build a very robust network, a mesh network which will join all the sensors, the shooters, the platforms, all of them together on one common mesh, on one common national network.”. He added, “And this will require a lot of work… such diverse systems all onto one grid. So I think that is the first step to get everybody on one network so that in any multi-domain operational scenario, we should not look at the capabilities of individual services, but the capabilities of the national power have to be brought to bear on the adversary.”. The Indian military has drawn several lessons from the prolonged Russia-Ukraine con 

 Deonandan Prasad Singh, an additional chief engineer (superintendent), of MT Safesea Vishnu, died on Wednesday following an attack on the Marshall Island-flagged tanker. The incident occurred during ship-to-ship cargo loading operations near the Khor Al Zubair Port, near Basra, Iraq, amid ongoing strife in the region. This was confirmed through a press note issued by the directorate general of shipping.. A rescuer guides a man out of a lifeboat, after Iranian explosive-laden boats appear to have attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters setting them ablaze (REUTERS). The tanker, which was carrying around 48,000 metric tonnes of naphtha, was struck by an unidentified object. Preliminary reports indicate that a white-coloured unmanned speedboat carrying explosives approached the vessel from the starboard side and rammed into it, resulting in a major fire onboard.. Singh, a native of Bihar and a resident of Kandivali, is survived by his wife and two children. He was in his mid-50s.. Singh’s brother-in-law Dr Chandan Kumar said, “We learnt about his death from his company. However, the shipping ministry has not told us anything. His son, who resides out of Mumbai, will reach the city on Friday. We are all in state of shock.”. Singh had earlier worked with Neom Maritime, United Ocean Ship Management, Bernard Schulte Ship Management, Samson Maritime and Shipping Corporation. The directorate general of shipping has been in touch with Singh’s family, and it is believed his wife is in a state of shock.. Following the incident, all crew members abandoned the vessel and entered the water for safety. They were subsequently rescued by an STS tug operating in the vicinity.. The Iraqi Coast Guard evacuated the remaining 27 crew members – which include 15 Indian and 12 Filipino nationals. They have been safely transported to a small island near the Port of Basra.. The Embassy of India in Baghdad is coordinating with Iraqi authorities to ensure the welfare of the Indian nationals. 

 Deonandan Prasad Singh, an additional chief engineer (superintendent), of MT Safesea Vishnu, died on Wednesday following an attack on the Marshall Island-flagged tanker. The incident occurred during ship-to-ship cargo loading operations near the Khor Al Zubair Port, near Basra, Iraq, amid ongoing strife in the region. This was confirmed through a press note issued by the directorate general of shipping.. A rescuer guides a man out of a lifeboat, after Iranian explosive-laden boats appear to have attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters setting them ablaze (REUTERS). The tanker, which was carrying around 48,000 metric tonnes of naphtha, was struck by an unidentified object. Preliminary reports indicate that a white-coloured unmanned speedboat carrying explosives approached the vessel from the starboard side and rammed into it, resulting in a major fire onboard.. Singh, a native of Bihar and a resident of Kandivali, is survived by his wife and two children. He was in his mid-50s.. Singh’s brother-in-law Dr Chandan Kumar said, “We learnt about his death from his company. However, the shipping ministry has not told us anything. His son, who resides out of Mumbai, will reach the city on Friday. We are all in state of shock.”. Singh had earlier worked with Neom Maritime, United Ocean Ship Management, Bernard Schulte Ship Management, Samson Maritime and Shipping Corporation. The directorate general of shipping has been in touch with Singh’s family, and it is believed his wife is in a state of shock.. Following the incident, all crew members abandoned the vessel and entered the water for safety. They were subsequently rescued by an STS tug operating in the vicinity.. The Iraqi Coast Guard evacuated the remaining 27 crew members – which include 15 Indian and 12 Filipino nationals. They have been safely transported to a small island near the Port of Basra.. The Embassy of India in Baghdad is coordinating with Iraqi authorities to ensure the welfare of the Indian nationals.