India news: Second LPG tanker reaches India amid shortage

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Rahul Ahluwalia, Director of the Foundation for Economic Development in Delhi, has criticized the government's approach to trying to deal with gas price pressures in an interview with DW. 

He said that instead of trying to artificially keep prices for gas low, the government should let them rise and then help those most seriously affected directly. 

"I think one of the issues that we are facing — unfortunately, that we often face — is that we attempt to insulate people from price shocks instead of trying to help them deal with it," Ahluwalia said. 

"The problem with limiting the price shock is that nobody adjusts behavior according to how the price has risen or should have risen had the price shock been allowed to propagate. So as a result, people are not really reducing their own personal consumption of gas and some people are having to face shortages," he said.

"The appropriate response would be let the prices rise, help people out via direct cash transfers or something of the sort. And India now has one of the most advanced infrastructures for direct crash transfers in the world," the economist added.

Ahluwalia said he did not anticipate any long-term difficulties for Narendra Modi's BJP government despite the pressure at present. 

"Because the political pressure is rising is why we have seen attempts to control the price," he said. "I don't think that the government should suffer very much. There are no near-term elections in the future. Usually you see that the voting public's memory is very short."

Ahluwalia said that industries affected or likely to be affected by shortages included hotels and restaurants, the aviation industry, fertilizer makers and bathroom and floor tile manufacturers that use gas in the production process. 

He also said he did not believe that a US amnesty on restrictions to importing Russian oil had been in place long enough to have any real effect as yet. 

"Well, as of now, I don't think that the full effect of this lifting of sanctions has had any time to really creep into the markets. Adjustment of supply will not really have happened so quickly. So right as of this moment, we're not really seeing any difference from it. But I do expect that it will filter through the market in a week or two," Ahluwalia said. 

Former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar has written a highly critical newspaper column about plans for an Indian-owned cricket franchise in England to sign Pakistani player Abrar Ahmed for this year's "The Hundred" summer league.

Two Pakistani players were bought at an auction last week to compete in the competition, but Abrar was picked up by Sunrisers Leeds, who are owned by the Sun Group that also controls Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. 

The biggest professional T20 cricket league, the India Premier League, has frozen out Pakistani players since 2009 amid the perennially frosty ties between the neighbors. 

Gavasakar wrote in the Mid-Day newspaper that Sunrisers Leeds paying Ahmed would "indirectly contribute to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians."

"Although belated, the realization that the fees that they pay to a Pakistani player, who then pays income tax to his government which buys arms and weapons, indirectly contributes to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians is making Indian entities refrain from even considering having Pakistani artistes and sportspersons," he wrote. 

Abrar is being paid 190,000 pounds (roughly $250,000 or €220,000) for his services. Sunrisers Leeds have faced a considerable backlash online for the signing.

"The furore created by the acquisition of a Pakistani player by the Indian owner of a franchise in The Hundred is hardly surprising. Ever since the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, Indian franchise owners have simply ignored Pakistani players for the IPL," Gavaskar said. 

Fellow Pakistani bowler Usman Tariq was hired by Birmingham Phoenix, but that is not an Indian-owned franchise. 

India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series in over a decade, meeting only in global and regional tournaments.

This year's "The Hundred" (so called because it is the world's only series using the 100-ball format rather than the more common T20 format) tournament will take place in July and August. 

A court in New Delhi remanded seven foreigners to the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for illegally entering Myanmar from India to train militia groups.

The seven foreign nationals include six Ukrainians and one American, India's national radio reported. 

The NIA had sought a 15-day custody to investigate suspicions that the individuals had illegally crossed into neighboring Myanmar to train armed militia groups. 

The agency further said they were associated with insurgent groups in India and had brought a "huge consignment of drones from Europe," All India Radio said.

The seven allegedly came to India on visas, illegally entered the state of Mizoram without an official permit, and then crossed into Myanmar. Authorities reportedly made the arrests after the group returned to India.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry confirmed that six of its citizens were arrested on March 13 and requested that Indian authorities provide them with "unimpeded consular access."

"As of now, there are no proven facts confirming the involvement of the aforementioned Ukrainian citizens in illegal activities on the territory of India or Myanmar," it said in a statement.

India is building a 1,643-kilometer (1,020-mile) fence along its porous border with Myanmar, which runs through remote jungles and snow-capped Himalayan peaks.

Amid a nationwide shortage due to the conflict in Iran, Indian authorities have conducted about 12,000 raids over the last few days and seized over 15,000 LPG cylinders.

On Tuesday evening, Sujata Sharma, joint secretary of the petroleum ministry, announced the figures during an inter-ministerial briefing on developments in the Middle East.

She said that several people have also been arrested for dealing in black-market LPG cylinders.

Here's what we learned from the briefing: 

• 161 Indian seafarers have been brought back to India from the Gulf region in the last 24 hours
• Over 700 Indian nationals have crossed into Armenia and Azerbaijan from Iran so far, and they will be brought back to India
• 130 pilgrims who had crossed into Armenia from Iran will reach New Delhi today
• The foreign ministry's control room remains operational to assist Indians in the Gulf, though the number of queries has significantly decreased 

The Indian Supreme Court has ruled that mothers of adoptive children in India can now claim maternity leave regardless of their child's age, according to local legal news outlets.

The decision struck down a rule that would have denied maternity leave to mothers adopting children over three months old.

The court stated that limiting leave to children under three months was unfair, noting that adoptive mothers of older children face the same caregiving responsibilities.

The judges emphasized that adoption is "an equally valid path" to motherhood, and that the needs of adopted children are no different from those of biological children.

All adoptive mothers will now receive 12 weeks of leave from the date the child joins their family.

Atiqa Mir aims to be the first female driver in modern-day Formula 1 racing. It's a goal she's pursuing with tenacity.

But excelling in competitive motorsport, especially as a young woman from India, comes with its challenges. 

Watch DW Hindi's coverage: 

India's ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has tightened its grip on the upper house of the Indian Parliament, with a decisive victory in the Indian states of Bihar and Odisha on Monday. 

The NDA is a right-wing political coalition led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It includes several regional parties that have helped the center extend its power at the state level.

Of the 37 vacant seats in the upper house, voting was required for 11 seats from the states of Bihar, Odisha and Haryana. The remaining new members ran unopposed. 

The NDA won all five seats in Bihar and four out of five seats in Odisha. The results for the two seats in Haryana remain on hold. 

Members of the Rajya Sabha are chosen by indirect election, that is, by members of the legislative assemblies. Anti-defection laws don't apply, which means parties benefit from cross-voting, often leading to last-minute twists.

In Odisha, the election took place amid cross-voting and allegations of horse trading. In Bihar, several opposition lawmakers did not turn up, benefiting the NDA. 

The President of India's main Opposition party, the Indian National Congress (INC), wrote to the Election Commission of India, alleging a "clear attempt to interfere with the Integrity of the election. 

India has condemned a Pakistani airstrike on a hospital in Kabul, calling it "cowardly" and "barbaric." 

The Taliban government in Afghanistan said the strike killed 400 people and injured hundreds more. Pakistan has dismissed the Taliban's claims and said it had targeted military installations.

"Pakistan is now trying to dress up a massacre as a military operation," India's foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. 

"It reflects Pakistan’s persistent pattern of reckless behavior and its repeated attempts to externalize internal failures through increasingly desperate acts of violence beyond its borders," the Statement read.

India has long had deep-rooted cultural ties with Afghanistan. Over the last year, New Delhi has made efforts to reset its diplomatic relations with Kabul, which had collapsed after the Taliban came to power in 2021.

Geopolitical experts say India’s Afghanistan strategy is driven by two primary goals: preventing the country from re-emerging as a hub for militancy, and building ties with its adversaries’ rivals. 

India has warned the United Nations of the "dangers of weaponising religious identity" for political ends, criticizing its neighbor and archrival Pakistan for spreading disinformation on Islamophobia in India. 

"India's western neighbor is an excellent example of fabricating imaginative tales of Islamophobia in their neighborhood," Indian Ambassador to the UN, Harish Parvathaneni, said in a speech to commemorate the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

"One wonders what would brutal repression of Ahmadiyyas in this country be termed, or the large-scale refoulement of the helpless Afghans, or air-bombing campaigns in this Holy Month of Ramadan?" he said. 

Parvathaneni's criticism comes amid an ongoing conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

On Monday, a Pakistani airstrike on a drug treatment facility in Kabul killed at least 400 people and left hundreds more injured. 

The ambassador claimed that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has "repeatedly made false and baseless allegations" against India. 

The OIC is the world's second-largest intergovernmental body after the UN. It has previously accused India of systematically targeting and marginalizing its Muslim population. India has accused the body of making false and unwarranted comments at the behest of Pakistan.

The most recent armed conflict between India and Pakistan, in May 2025, saw a new wave of disinformation and AI-generated fake or altered videos to gain the upper hand. Even as the conflict has abated, both countries continue to see propaganda videos about their neighbor. 

Meanwhile, several global rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government for promoting laws that discriminate against minority religions.

Over 200 million of India's 1.4 billion population belongs to the Muslim community, making it the country's largest minority. 

LPG tanker Nanda Devi successfully arrived at Vadinar Port in India's western state of Gujarat, shipping officials have confired.

"The vessel, which departed from Qatar and navigated the Strait of Hormuz, is carrying approximately 46,000 metric tons of LPG," India's shipping ministry said in a social media post, along with a short video of the vessel docked at port. 

This is the second of two LPG tankers to safely arrive in India after passing through the Strait.

India's foreign ministry has attributed this to successful diplomatic talks with Tehran and said it was working to bring back "many more" Indian vessels from the Gulf region. 

India's shipping and ports minister Sabarnanda Sonowal lauded the crews and captains of both ships for their "unwavering duty" in bringing in "vital LPG cargo."

A third Indian tanker carrying crude oil from the UAE is also scheduled to reach Indian shores on Tuesday.

Air India and its budget subsidiary Air India Express said it will operate 44 scheduled and non-scheduled flights to and from the Middle East on Tuesday, March 17. 

"In addition to the scheduled services, Air India and Air India Express will operate a total of 24 non-scheduled flights to and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, subject to availability of slots and other prevailing conditions at the departure stations at the time," the air carrier said in a statement. 

The airline's flight operations to and from Dubai remain suspended. 

It asked customers to ensure their registered mobile numbers were updated to receive important information. Other commercial airlines, including India's largest carrier IndiGo, are also running non-scheduled flights based on the availability of slots at airports in the UAE.

Millions of Indian nationals work and live in the Gulf nations. Many of them are trying to return home to their families amid the ongoing conflict in Iran. 

"Air India group is exploring every opportunity to operate other additional ad-hoc flights to and from destinations in West Asia," the airline said.

The UAE temporarily closed its airspace overnight amid more Iranian attacks, suspending operations at Dubai's international airport, before reopening it later on Tuesday.

Nanda Devi, a merchant vessel carrying liquified petroleum gas (LPG) which earlier crossed the Strait of Hormuz, is set to arrive at Indian shores today, according to reports. 

The ship is scheduled to reach the Deendayal Port, commonly known as Kandla Port, in the western state of Gujarat, news outlets The Times of India and The Hindu reported.

According to TOI, the ship was scheduled to reach early in the morning. There has been no official confirmation of its arrival yet.

LPG-carrying ships Shivalik and Nanda Devi crossed the strait Saturday, marking a breakthrough in diplomatic talks between Iran and India.

Both ships were escorted by the Indian Navy under 'Operation Sankalp,' launched to ensure the safety of Indian vessels in the Gulf. The world 'Sankalp' roughly translates to vow or determination. 

After the US-Israel war with Iran broke out on February 28, transit through the key route dropped by up to 90% in the following days.

On March 2, Iran said the strait was closed and that it would attack any ships that attempted to pass through. It has since also said the strait was open to all except the US and its allies.

India, the world's second-largest LPG importer, quickly enforced emergency directives to manage the impending fuel crisis while also engaging with Tehran to negotiate safe passage for Indian-flagged ships. 

A third Indian-flagged tanker, named Jag Laadki, is also scheduled to reach a different port in Gujarat today. It faced a close call last week when UAE's Fujairah port was attacked.

Indian officials report the crude tanker sailed out of the port on Saturday, and that everyone onboard was unharmed. 

India's foreign ministry had earlier reported that 22 Indian vessels, apart from Shivalik and Nanda Devi, were in the conflict-affected region.

The government has since assured citizens that all the vessels are safe and that talks to bring them back home were ongoing. In an interview with the Financial Times, Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar said there was no "blanket agreement" with Iran on passing of Indian ships.

Good morning! Welcome to DW's India news blog. 

This is Mahima Kapoor from the New Delhi studio, and I will be bringing you a roundup of the biggest headlines from India.

Here is what to expect on Tuesday:

• As the shortage of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) persists, Indians are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a second tanker set to reach the nation's western shores today
• This is one of the two LPG-laden tankers that crossed the Strait of Hormuz last week after successful negotiations between New Delhi and Tehran
• The Indian government is encouraging households to switch to piped natural gas (PNG) for household use
• Authorities are hoping to take some pressure off the limited LPG imports that have sharply decreased amid the Iran conflict
• In other news, India's foreign minister Subramanyam Jaishankar has returned from Brussels after discussing the implementation of the landmark Free Trade Agreement with leaders of the European Union

Stick with us as we break down the day's news for you.