Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a crucial meeting of the Council of Ministers at 4 pm today at Seva Teerth in Delhi, with all Union ministers asked to remain in the national capital during the period amid heightened political and economic discussions within the government.

The meeting will take place soon after PM Modi returns from his foreign tour and is expected to be attended by all Union Cabinet ministers, ministers of state with independent charge and ministers of state.

India Today has learnt that the ongoing West Asia conflict and its possible economic impact on India are expected to come up during the discussions.

The government has been closely monitoring concerns linked to oil prices, fuel supply chains and inflation amid the escalating regional tensions.

Prime Minister Modi is expected to review the evolving situation after returning from his foreign visit, sources said. The government has already constituted a high-powered informal group of ministers led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to monitor the crisis and suggest measures to shield India from disruptions.

Union ministers Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman and Hardeep Singh Puri are part of the group.

Rajnath Singh recently said the government was maintaining “round-the-clock monitoring” of the situation.

“Whether it is crude oil, energy, or LPG even today, we have enough stocks. There is no particular problem,” Singh had said.

The meeting has also gained political significance amid growing speculation over a possible Cabinet expansion and reshuffle in the Modi 3.0 government ahead of its first anniversary on June 10.

Last week, official sources had indicated that discussions around a reshuffle and expansion were intensifying and that changes in the Union Council of Ministers could take place in the second week of June.

Sources had also said the government leadership was reviewing the performance of ministries and organisational functioning ahead of any possible exercise.

Source: India Today