Discuss India's vulnerability to disruptions in West Asia and the Strait of Hormuz, and evaluate the adequacy of current measures to ensure energy security.

India imports the bulk of its crude oil and LPG, much of it transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The 2026 West Asia escalation, which halted new domestic LPG connections in India's metros [1], shows how a distant conflict reaches Indian kitchens — exposing a vulnerability that current measures only partly cover.

Nature of the vulnerability

• Chokepoint concentration: risk to the Strait of Hormuz forced the Petroleum Ministry into emergency interventions on crude, LPG and gas supply from March 2026 [2].
• Household transmission: new 14.2-kg domestic connections have been suspended in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai since mid-March 2026, with only 5-kg free-trade and 10-kg composite cylinders offered instead [1].
• Welfare spillover: first-time seekers — often poor households of the kind covered by PMUY, under which over 10.33 crore connections have been released [3] — bear the burden, risking a reversal of clean-cooking-fuel gains.
• Macroeconomic exposure: import-price shocks feed into inflation, the subsidy bill and scarcity-driven black-marketing.

Evaluating the response Strengths:

• Supply triage worked: refills for existing consumers continued, domestic LPG output was maximised and booking intervals extended, averting dry-outs [2].
• Substitution architecture: 100% supply assured for PNG/CNG, with CGD entities (IGL, MGL, GAIL Gas, BPCL) incentivising new PNG connections [2].
• Strategic crude storages at Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Padur provide a physical cushion [4].

Gaps:

• Buffer depth: SPR capacity expansion remains work-in-progress, limiting endurance in a prolonged closure [4].
• Transparency deficit: the freeze runs on advisories and grievance-portal replies, without formal notification or a published review timeline [1].
• Sunset failure: petrol, diesel and CNG curbs were lifted, yet the LPG freeze persists even as distributors call supplies "comfortable" [1].

India managed the shock but has not yet insured against it. Deeper strategic reserves, diversified LPG sourcing beyond West Asia, accelerated piped-gas coverage and a transparent, time-bound sunset rule for emergency curbs would convert crisis management into durable energy security — aligning with SDG-7's promise of affordable, reliable energy for all.