Less than a month into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and restaurants in India have switched to burning wood and limiting menu options, citing a shortage of cooking gas. Households are also facing longer wait times for LPG cylinder deliveries.
That the world’s fourth-largest economy and most populous country can become vulnerable to a conflict in the Middle East so much so that it begins rationing energy supplies within a week of hostilities should prompt serious reflection.
The LPG shortage is not the only crisis calling for introspection among policymakers in New Delhi. At a time when supply-chain security has become sacrosanct through initiatives such as Pax Silica (to which India recently became a member), New Delhi continues to depend on allies, partners and adversaries alike for critical goods, calling into question its contribution to such initiatives.
