The government, on Thursday, moved to reassure citizens that the country’s fuel supply situation remains fully stable. The ministry of petroleum and natural gas said India’s petroleum and LPG systems are secure and under firm control, with no shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG anywhere in the country. It also warned against what it called a coordinated misinformation campaign intended to create unnecessary panic.This follows the Centre’s earlier clarification dismissing reports that LPG refill booking timelines had been changed. It said the claims were incorrect and misleading, and reaffirmed that the existing timelines “remain unchanged and continue to” operate under the current time limit.Here’s what the government said:

‘Oasis of energy security’: Fuel supply stable across India

The ministry reiterated India’s fuel security, saying that the country continues to function as an “oasis of energy security.” In a press release, the government pointed out that “India is the world’s 4th largest refiner and 5th largest exporter of petroleum products, supplying refined fuel to over 150 countries.”Commenting on petrol and diesel availability, the Centre assured that, being a net exporter, India’s petrol and diesel availability is “structurally assured.” It confirmed that all 1 lakh-plus retail fuel outlets across India are operating normally and dispensing petrol and diesel without interruption.The ministry said no outlet has been instructed to ration fuel. It also highlighted that, unlike several countries facing rationing, price shocks, odd-even vehicle restrictions and even station closures, with some declaring a “National Energy Emergency,” India has no requirement for such measures.According to the ministry, reports of shortages at select locations were driven by panic buying triggered by misinformation circulating on social media. It said that despite temporary surges in demand, fuel continued to be supplied to all customers, while oil company depots operated round-the-clock to strengthen distribution. Oil companies have also extended credit limits to petrol pumps to more than three days, up from one day earlier, to ensure smooth working capital flow and uninterrupted supply.

Crude tanks — already covered

Addressing concerns over global supply routes, the ministry stated that even with disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz, India is currently receiving higher crude volumes from over 41 international suppliers than what previously came through the strait.It added that increased availability in global markets, particularly from the western hemisphere, has fully offset any disruption. All Indian refineries, it said, are operating at over 100% capacity utilisation.The ministry further stated that crude oil requirements for the next 60 days have already been secured, and there is no supply gap in the system. “Crude oil supplies for next 60 days have already been tied up by Indian Oil companies.”

LPG

Commenting on LPG supply, a major concern for consumers amid the Middle East crisis, the ministry said that there is no shortage anywhere in the country and production has been significantly ramped up following the LPG Control Order.Domestic refinery output has increased by 40 per cent, reaching 50 TMT per day, more than 60 per cent of the country’s total daily requirement of around 80 TMT. As a result, the net import requirement has been reduced to 30 TMT per day.It said 800 TMT of LPG cargoes have already been secured and are currently en route from countries including the United States, Russia and Australia. These supplies are arriving across 22 LPG import terminals, compared to 11 in 2014.The ministry said about one month of LPG supply is fully secured, with further procurement ongoing. Oil companies are currently distributing over 50 lakh cylinders daily. It noted that demand had briefly surged to 89 lakh cylinders due to panic buying but has since returned to normal levels. Commercial cylinder allocation has been increased to 50% in consultation with state governments to prevent hoarding and black marketing.

A PNG transition

The ministry once again highlighted the push for piped natural gas expansion, stating that it is part of a planned and ongoing transition towards cleaner, cheaper and safer household energy, being implemented in coordination with state governments. It further clarified that this expansion is not linked to any shortage situation and rejected claims that PNG is being pushed due to LPG scarcity. It said LPG supply remains fully secure.India produces 92 MMSCMD of natural gas domestically against a total requirement of 191 MMSCMD, making gas relatively less import-dependent than LPG.Till now, city gas distribution networks have expanded from 57 geographical areas in 2014 to more than 300 at present. Domestic PNG connections have grown from 25 lakh to over 1.5 crore.

Strategic reserves — A bigger picture

The ministry also dismissed claims circulating online that India has only six days of fuel stock, saying the country has a total reserve capacity of 74 days, with current stock cover at around 60 days.This includes crude stocks, product inventories and strategic storage in underground caverns. The ministry noted that this is the position even as the country is on the 27th day of the ongoing Middle East crisis.It said that almost two months of steady supply is already secured, with additional crude procurement for the next two months also tied up. It asserted that India remains fully secure for the coming months, and stressed that claims of depleted reserves are false. “Nearly two months of steady supply is available for every Indian citizen regardless of what happens globally. Next 2 months of crude procurement has also been secured. India is completely secure for next many months and the quantity in strategic cavern storage becomes secondary in such a supply situation.”

Government’s warning

Expressing serious concern, the ministry said misleading videos and social media posts are circulating that misuse images of queues, foreign rationing situations and fabricated claims about fuel emergencies in India.It also said certain posts have misinterpreted routine administrative orders such as the Natural Gas Control Order and LPG Control Order as emergency declarations, when they are standard supply management measures.The Ministry said these false narratives are being spread by miscreants and amplified by motivated elements, causing avoidable public anxiety. It urged citizens to depend only on official government communication for accurate information.It further warned that spreading misinformation on essential commodities is a punishable offence under law, and said strict action will be taken against those responsible for deliberately creating panic.

The moon has been a symbol of exploration for years. However, now it is not just a symbol of exploration but also a destination for long-term human presence. NASA has just announced its new plan to build a moon base for $20 billion. This is a huge step for space exploration and a new way of thinking for space organisations. This ambitious plan, which is associated with the Artemis program, will enable humans to live permanently on the surface of the moon. This plan will be executed by conducting multiple missions and developing new technologies to achieve this ambitious goal.

NASA’s $20 billion ‘Moon Base’ plan

The focus of the proposal by NASA is the establishment of a permanent base on the Moon in the next decade. This would be done through a series of missions aimed at building up the infrastructure on the Moon, thus allowing humans to return and stay for extended periods.The latest announcements suggest that the agency is planning to send several missions to the Moon and establish an “enduring presence” on the Moon, thus moving beyond the short-term goals set in the Apollo program.The latest plan by the agency is in line with the broader Artemis program, which has a focus on sustainable exploration of the Moon. According to the agency, the focus of the program is to develop “a sustained presence on and around the Moon” in preparation for deep space missions.

Why NASA wants a ‘Moon Base’

The rationale behind such an enormous investment is beyond mere exploration. The Moon is now considered an essential stepping stone to further space exploration, particularly to Mars.The major reasons behind this mission include:

NASA has stressed that the Artemis mission is intended to assist in demonstrating “key elements needed for the first human mission to Mars.” The lunar south pole is considered an ideal place because of its potential to obtain water ice as well as stable levels of sunlight.

How will the Moon Base be built

The development of a moon base will not be instantaneous but will be a gradual process. The development will occur in various stages. According to the plans, this will be a process that includes:

NASA’s Artemis Base Camp is already a concept that includes features such as a lunar cabin, mobility systems such as rovers, and facilities for staying for weeks or even months on the moon.In addition to this, it is also important to note that this will not be a one-nation mission but will be a collaborative effort involving nations across the globe.

Challenges of living on the Moon

As attractive as it may sound, however, establishing a moon base is not an easy task. Some of the serious challenges that come with the moon’s environment include:

Studies conducted by Cornell University indicate that even a moon base protected from harm will be constantly exposed to space particles, though this will be reduced to a large extent due to modern shielding.

Why is the plan so crucial

NASA’s $20 billion moon base is more than just an investment in space exploration; it is an investment in human aspirations. NASA’s plan is not just an investment in space exploration; it is an investment in human aspirations.The NASA plan could mean:

As NASA moves forward in its plan to build a moon base, the Moon is no longer just something in the sky; it is something we will soon call home.NASA’s plan to build a moon base is an audacious, complex plan that is full of challenges, but it is also full of promise. NASA’s investment in space exploration is an investment in humanity’s future. If successful, it could redefine humanity’s relationship with space. NASA’s plan could redefine humanity’s relationship with space by making the Moon a portal to humanity’s next great era of space exploration.

India has faced significant disruption to energy supplies routed through the Strait of Hormuz. (AI image)

For the first time in several years, India has reportedly purchased liquified petroleum gas (LPG) from Iran after the Donald Trump administration granted a 30-day sanctions waiver to keep oil and gas prices in check. India had stopped energy imports from Iran in 2019 amid Western sanctions. Data from LSEG indicated that the tanker carrying the cargo was originally headed for China.India has faced significant disruption to energy supplies routed through the Strait of Hormuz due to the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

Iran LPG headed to India

The sanctioned vessel Aurora, transporting Iranian LPG, is expected to arrive today at the west coast port of Mangalore, sources told Reuters. Sources said the cargo was procured through a trader, with payment to be made in rupees. They added that India is also considering additional purchases of Iranian LPG cargoes.Also Read | US-Iran war: Why India is facing an LPG crisis — explained in chartsThe LPG shipment will be distributed among three state-run fuel retailers: Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited.However, an official said he was not aware of any purchases of Iranian cargoes. “(There are) no loaded cargoes from Iran, we have not heard of that,” Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary in the federal shipping ministry, said at a press conference on Wednesday.India, the world’s second-largest importer of LPG, is grappling with its most severe gas supply crunch in decades, prompting the government to cut allocations to industries in order to safeguard household cooking fuel needs.The country consumed 33.15 million metric tonnes of LPG last year, with imports meeting roughly 60% of the demand. A significant majority of these imports originated from the Middle East.India is also working to clear LPG cargoes stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, with four tankers — Shivalik, Nanda Devi, Pine Gas and Jag Vasant — already moved. In addition, the country has begun loading LPG onto empty vessels that had been stuck in the Persian Gulf.

Elon Musk’s lawyers want a Delaware judge to be removed from all cases related to his companies, reports Bloomberg. The judge in question is Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, who Musk’s law firm Quinn Emanuel claimed had liked the “inflammatory” post and thereby created “a perception of bias against Mr. Musk in these cases, recusal is necessary and warranted”. Last week, a jury concluded that Elon Musk defrauded Twitter (now X) investors in 2022 to bring down purchase prices. As per the report, McCormick ‘liked’ a LinkedIn post celebrating his recent legal defeat in California.

Lawyer says liked the post celebrating Musk’s defeat accidentally

A jury consultant in the federal case, who had worked for the shareholders, shared a post on the social media platform writing: “Sorry, Elon. Sorry, Quinn Emanuel. Thanks $2 billion for your help in this trial. It was a pleasure working against you.”As report by Bloomberg, McCormick said she was not aware that she had liked the post until “LinkedIn recently reported that I hit the heart-in-hand icon intended to show a sign of ‘support’ concerning a LinkedIn post about Mr. Musk”.In a letter to attorneys, she said “I either did not click the ‘support’ icon at all, or I did so accidentally. I do not believe that I did it accidentally”.

Who is Kathaleen McCormick

Notably, McCormick is the lead judge of the Delaware Court of Chancery. She has twice rejected Musk’s 2018 pay package from Tesla, worth $56bn, citing the Tesla board’s lack of independence from the CEO. McCormick was also the judge in a 2022 Delaware case where Twitter’s board sought to force Elon Musk to complete his deal to buy the company after he threatened to back out.Interestingly, Musk told a jury earlier this “We were unlikely to win the case in Delaware because the judge [McCormick] was extremely biased against me”. Another Musk’s case that McCormick is part of a lawsuit brought by a City of Detroit pension fund in 2020, claiming that Tesla directors had been awarded excessive compensation.

Mumbai Indians’ captain Hardik Pandya with teammate Suryakumar Yadav during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings, in Jaipur. (PTI Photo)

With captaincy talk returning around Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2026, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has backed Hardik Pandya to continue as leader, urging the franchise to avoid another change at the top.Mumbai Indians have several experienced players in the dressing room, including Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, both of whom have led India in T20 cricket. A couple of seasons ago, the franchise replaced Rohit with Hardik as captain, ending a tenure that brought five IPL titles. The decision drew reactions from sections of fans, especially with Hardik moving from Gujarat Titans and taking charge immediately. Despite that, the team reached the playoffs last season.With Suryakumar having recently led India to a T20 World Cup title, there has been discussion around his leadership role, with some suggesting a possible change in captaincy at Mumbai Indians.Kaif, however, said the team should continue with Hardik, pointing to the progress made under him last season.“I don’t think that Mumbai Indians should make the same mistake again. They had a poor season after removing Rohit Sharma and bringing Hardik Pandya in. Hardik Pandya is settling in his role now. They played Qualifier 2 last year. So, Hardik Pandya did a good job as captain,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.He also warned against frequent leadership changes based on trends, referring to the earlier shift from Rohit to Hardik and the current discussion around Suryakumar.“Suryakumar Yadav is an option, but it should not happen like how they treated Rohit Sharma, saying now we have Hardik Pandya, who made Gujarat champions, so he will captain now. Hardik was the hot topic then, and they pushed him. Now Suryakumar Yadav is the hot topic. Next year, there will be someone else, so will you remove Surya?” he added.Mumbai Indians will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders at home on March 29.