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✍️ Written by Saket Suman I have been a journalist for most of my adult life and this country has become my beat, my burden and perhaps my greatest blessing. This journey has led me to cover India from its plains and its hills, from the coaching centres and the press conferences, from literary festivals, from the front lines of protests to the inside and outside of its policy corridors. I have watched promises made at election rallies dissolve in the unforgiving heat of governance. I have seen individuals become symbols and symbols become power and power become something so sinister that I will leave it unnamed here. I write of these things to establish a vantage point as essential context because what follows is written from the inside, from the ground, with the accumulated scepticism of someone who has seen some bit of this republic to resist, on this particular day, both the celebration and the denunciation that today's milestone will produ...

India and South Korea on Monday agreed to significantly expand their bilateral partnership across trade, technology, defence-adjacent sectors and the Indo-Pacific, setting an ambitious target to more than double trade to $50 billion by 2030 while launching new institutional mechanisms to deepen economic and strategic cooperation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung; Via: MEA India The agreements were announced following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during the latter’s state visit to India — the first such visit in eight years — where both sides outlined a transition from an existing strategic partnership to what was described as a more “futuristic” and comprehensive framework. At the core of the outcomes is a broad-based push spanning semiconductors, shipbuilding, artificial intelligence, energy security and supply chains, alongside the launch of an India–Korea Digital Bridge to drive collaboration...

The Indian government has detailed an expansive, multi-sector response to the ongoing West Asia conflict , combining energy stabilisation, MSME support, maritime safeguards and sustained diplomatic outreach, as the government sought to cushion domestic impact while navigating escalating global disruptions. Image: PIB Screengrab Via: @Indsamachar on X At the most recent inter-ministerial briefing in New Delhi on Wednesday, officials said the government remains “committed to ensuring adequate support to MSMEs through coordinated policy measures,” highlighting that more than 5.27 lakh credit guarantees worth ₹92,000 crore were approved in February–March alone, alongside a sharp expansion in collateral-free lending limits and continued growth in credit flow to the sector. The briefing underscored that energy supply remains a central priority amid disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz, with authorities maintaining that “100% supply is being made to Domestic LPG, Domestic PNG and ...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he received a call from U.S. President Donald Trump during which both leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation and discussed the escalating West Asia conflict, with a shared emphasis on keeping the Strait of Hormuz “open and secure” amid mounting global energy and trade disruptions. File Photo via: Henxist on X In a post on X, Modi said, “Received a call from my friend President Donald Trump. We reviewed the substantial progress achieved in our bilateral cooperation in various sectors,” adding that both sides “are committed to further strengthening our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership in all areas.”  He said they “also discussed the situation in West Asia and stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure,” underscoring the waterway’s centrality to global economic stability. The conversation comes as India intensifies parallel domestic and external measures to manage the cascading impact of the co...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a second high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg to review India’s preparedness in the context of the ongoing West Asia conflict , with a focus on safeguarding essential supplies, stabilising prices and insulating the economy from prolonged global disruptions.  Representational Image: USS Tripoli (LHA 7) sails in the Indian Ocean, March 29; Via: CentCom The Cabinet Secretary briefed the CCS on measures to ensure uninterrupted availability of petroleum products, particularly LPG and LNG, along with sufficient power supply, noting that sourcing is being diversified with new inflows from multiple countries. The Prime Minister directed that “all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens from the impact of this conflict” and emphasised coordinated action across ministries. The CCS review comes alongside a detailed inter-ministerial briefing earlier in the day, where multiple de...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 received a call from U.S. President Donald Trump as the West Asia war entered a critical phase, with both leaders holding what the government described as a “useful exchange of views” on the evolving conflict and its widening global impact, including energy disruptions and maritime insecurity.  Image of PM NaMo; Via: Sansad TV Screengrab Modi reiterated that “India supports de-escalation and restoration of peace at the earliest,” while underlining that “ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world,” positioning New Delhi firmly on the side of stabilising global trade routes and energy flows even as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate and diverge over claims of negotiations and military posturing . Both sides agreed to remain in touch as diplomatic efforts continue, reflecting India’s active engagement at the highest level with key stakeholders in the...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review the escalating impact of the West Asia conflict, directing a coordinated “whole-of-government” response to safeguard critical supplies, economic stability and citizen welfare.  A snap from the meeting of the CCS to review; Via: PM NaMo According to the official statement , the government conducted a comprehensive assessment across sectors including food, energy, fertilisers, shipping, trade and supply chains, with both immediate and long-term countermeasures discussed.  The Prime Minister ordered the creation of dedicated groups of ministers and secretaries, alongside sectoral task forces, to ensure continuity of essential supplies, prevent black-marketing and hoarding, and minimise disruption to citizens as the conflict continues to affect global markets. The meeting focused on ensuring availability of critical resources such as fuel, electricity...

Iran on Saturday used its highest-level engagement with India to sharply frame the ongoing war as “unlawful aggression” by the United States and Israel, with President Masoud Pezeshkian telling Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Iran “did not initiate the war” and that attacks were carried out “without any justification, logic, or legal basis,” even as Modi condemned strikes on energy infrastructure, stressed freedom of navigation, and called for an early return to peace through dialogue. File Photo of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian; Via: ShaykhSulaiman According to an official Iranian readout , Pezeshkian outlined what he described as the “dimensions of the aggression,” alleging that U.S. and Israeli strikes had resulted in the deaths of senior leaders, military commanders and civilians, including “innocent schoolchildren,” and claimed that a U.S. strike on a school in Minab led to the killing of 168 children.  He rejected U.S. assertions that the campaign was aimed...

India on Saturday sharpened its diplomatic outreach to both sides of the widening West Asia conflict, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to convey Eid and Nowruz greetings while explicitly condemning attacks on “critical infrastructure in the region” that “threaten regional stability and disrupt global supply chains,” and reiterating the need to “safeguard freedom of navigation” and keep shipping lanes “open and secure,” even as he acknowledged Iran’s support in ensuring the safety of Indian nationals.  File Photo of PM NaMo with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian; PMO Crop Via: BreakingMinutes The call marks a notable step in restoring high-level engagement after the Ministry of External Affairs had earlier indicated that communication with Iranian leadership was difficult to establish in the initial days of the war due to the rapidly evolving conflict environment. In an earlier conversation on March 13 , Modi had alr...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi  has spoken with at least six global leaders across West Asia, Europe and Southeast Asia over the past 24 hours. This comes at a time when India is intensifying diplomatic push for de-escalation, protection of energy infrastructure, and uninterrupted global trade flows as the Iran war expands into critical economic systems. File Photo of PM NaMo with French Prez Macron; Via: PMO In a series of coordinated calls, Modi engaged with King Abdullah II, Emmanuel Macron, Anwar Ibrahim, and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, in addition to his earlier outreach to Kuwait’s leadership. This showed India's a multi-vector diplomatic effort aimed at stabilising a conflict now directly threatening energy supply chains and maritime routes. With Jordan’s King Abdullah II , Modi “expressed concern at the evolving situation in West Asia” and “highlighted the need for dialogue and diplomacy for the early restoration of peace, security and stability,” while warning that “at...