The availability of fertilisers for the ensuing rabi sowing season and the safety of Indian seafarers came up prominently at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Parliament House complex today.The meeting was called to take stock of the situation in view of the West Asia conflict and discuss measures to deal with the challenge. It was the fourth special CCS meeting on the issue.An official statement said that the meeting assessed requirements for fertilisers for the ensuing rabi season and alternate sources of procurement. “All measures should be taken for ensuring uninterrupted supply of fertilisers for farmers,” the PM instructed the leaders.The meeting also discussed the safety of seafarers serving on domestic as well as foreign-flagged vessels in conflict zones. “The Prime Minister has directed to establish a mechanism to provide timely information, emergency assistance and counselling to seafarers and their families,” the officials said.The meeting began with Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan briefing the CCS about the present geopolitical situation. He gave the details of initiatives taken to ensure adequate supply of petroleum products, including LNG, LPG and fertilisers, and said that sources for procurement of LPG had already been diversified and the overall stock and supply position of major petroleum products remained adequate.”The availability of adequate crude oil has enabled Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) refineries to operate at utilisation levels exceeding 100 per cent, ensuring continued production of petrol, diesel and other petroleum products. Initiatives have been taken to expand piped natural gas (PNG) connections which have resulted in substantial increase in PNG connections,” the Cabinet secretariat said.The government is further facilitating industrial substitution of LPG through expansion of the national gas grid, augmentation of LNG import and regasification infrastructure, expansion of city gas distribution networks, and time-bound pipeline and last-mile connectivity approvals under the Pipeline Infrastructure Order, 2026.After the presentation, the Prime Minister said all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens as well as the Indian diaspora from the impact of this conflict.Stressing energy independence, the PM instructed that emphasis should be on renewable energy sources, including solar energy and other non-fossil fuel based sources. The PM reiterated whole of government approach to be adopted to tackle the challenges arising due to the crisis.“A unified coordinated mechanism should be put in place for regular monitoring of all the developments to ensure expeditious implementation of appropriate measures to safeguard the interests of the citizens,” he said.The meeting saw the attendance of five CCS members — the PM, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.The invitees to the meeting were Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister JP Nadda, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri.Sources said the security of seafarers was one of the principal agendas. Since the outbreak of the West Asia conflict in 2026, as many as 16 Indian nationals, including 10 seafarers, have lost their lives (one in Saudi Arabia; two in Kuwait; eight in Oman; one in Iraq; and four in the UAE) while 75 Indians have been injured (32 in the UAE; 24 in Oman; four in Qatar; 13 in Kuwait; one in Saudi Arabia; and one in Israel).In a separate accident not related to the attacks, 12 Indian nationals lost their lives at the Ras Laffan gas facility in Qatar.