UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Key takeaways of 5th IGoM on West Asia chaired by RM: No shortage of any petroleum product, India has 60 days of crude oil, 60 days of Natural Gas & 45 days of LPG rolling stock

Q1. With reference to the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) on West Asia constituted to coordinate India's response to the ongoing West Asia conflict, who chairs this group?

  • A. Union Minister of External Affairs
  • B. Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • C. Raksha Mantri (Union Minister of Defence)
  • D. Union Home Minister

Q2. As reviewed by the 5th IGoM on West Asia (May 2026), how many days of LPG rolling stock does India hold?

  • A. 30 days
  • B. 45 days
  • C. 60 days
  • D. 90 days

Q3. Under Phase-I of India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) Programme, at how many locations has Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) established underground crude oil storage facilities?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q4. Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL), the Special Purpose Vehicle implementing the SPR Programme, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of which of the following?

  • A. Indian Oil Corporation Limited
  • B. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited
  • C. Oil Industry Development Board
  • D. Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board

Q5. India's Phase-II Strategic Petroleum Reserve programme, approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2021, envisages 6.5 MMT of additional underground crude storage at Chandikhol and Padur. Approximately how many additional days of crude oil supply is this Phase-II expansion expected to provide?

  • A. About 9 days
  • B. About 12 days
  • C. About 18 days
  • D. About 22 days

Q6. With reference to the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) on West Asia, whose 5th meeting in May 2026 reviewed India's petroleum preparedness, the said IGoM is chaired by which one of the following Union Ministers?

  • A. Minister of External Affairs
  • B. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • C. Minister of Defence
  • D. Minister of Commerce and Industry

Q7. With reference to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) Programme of India, consider the following statements: 1. Phase-I of the SPR comprises an aggregate capacity of 5.33 MMT of crude oil at three coastal locations — Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Padur. 2. Phase-II of the SPR, approved in 2021, envisages additional storage at Chandikhol in Odisha and Padur in Karnataka. 3. Unlike Phase-I, the Phase-II facilities are to be developed purely for strategic Government use, excluding any commercial participation. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Phase-I of the SPR comprises an aggregate capacity of 5.33 MMT of crude oil at three coastal locations — Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Padur.
  2. Phase-II of the SPR, approved in 2021, envisages additional storage at Chandikhol in Odisha and Padur in Karnataka.
  3. Unlike Phase-I, the Phase-II facilities are to be developed purely for strategic Government use, excluding any commercial participation.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. As per the Agreement on an International Energy Programme, each member country of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has an obligation to hold emergency oil stocks equivalent to at least how many days of its net oil imports of the previous year?

  • A. 45 days
  • B. 60 days
  • C. 90 days
  • D. 120 days

Q9. With reference to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and India's relationship with it, consider the following statements: 1. India is a full member of the International Energy Agency. 2. Full membership of the IEA requires the candidate country to be a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). 3. Every IEA member country, without exception, is required to maintain oil stocks equivalent to at least 90 days of its net oil imports. 4. The 90-day emergency stockholding obligation of an IEA member country can be partly met by commercial inventories held by industry to which the government has immediate access. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. India is a full member of the International Energy Agency.
  2. Full membership of the IEA requires the candidate country to be a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
  3. Every IEA member country, without exception, is required to maintain oil stocks equivalent to at least 90 days of its net oil imports.
  4. The 90-day emergency stockholding obligation of an IEA member country can be partly met by commercial inventories held by industry to which the government has immediate access.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 3 only

Q10. How many sovereign states have coastlines on the Persian Gulf?

  • A. Six
  • B. Seven
  • C. Eight
  • D. Nine

Q11. With reference to the Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB), which one of the following best describes it?

  • A. A non-statutory advisory committee set up by an executive resolution of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • B. A statutory body constituted under an Act of Parliament, functioning under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, that provides financial assistance to the oil and gas industry
  • C. A Central Public Sector Undertaking incorporated under the Companies Act, owned by the Ministry of Finance, that regulates petroleum pricing
  • D. A constitutional regulator created under Article 246 to license exploration and production of mineral oil

Q12. How many of the following grantee institutions are housed under the Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB) — Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), Centre for High Technology (CHT), Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD), Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) and Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd. (ISPRL)?

  • A. Only two
  • B. Only three
  • C. Only four
  • D. All five