New Delhi:

The Centre has constituted seven empowered groups of officials and experts to handle the fallout of the Iran war on specific sectors of the Indian economy, including oil, gas, fertilisers, supply chains, and inflation.

The empowered groups, comprising senior officials from the Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Secretariat, were based on directions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review the evolving situation arising out of the ongoing West Asia conflict and assess measures to mitigate its impact on India.

The first of the seven empowered committees is focused on strategic issues, including defence, external affairs and public order, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri named the convenor of the panel that includes Home Secretary Govind Mohan as well as Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Anuradha Thakur has been appointed convenor of a panel tasked with monitoring the economy, finance and supply chain-related issues, including export and import challenges.