New Delhi, March 21 : Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday informed the Rajya Sabha that India has imported much less than 1 per cent crude oil from Russia in the past three years. Responding to Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, Puri said in a written reply: “Indian oil and gas public sector undertakings have imported approximately less than 1 per cent of total crude oil imports from Russia in 2021-22 (till January). India imported only 0.419 MMT of crude oil from Russia as compared to overall crude oil imports of 175.900 MMT.” He added: “We require a total of 5 million barrels per day. That’s our consumption, 60 per cent of it comes from the Gulf. We have imported from Russia only 0.419 MMT… which is much less than 1 per cent. Even if we were to increase it, it would still be a drop in a larger bucket.” According to Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC), India’s major sources of crude oil imports are Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Nigeria and the US, he said. Priyanka Chaturvedi wanted to know the details of the import of natural gas and crude oil from Russia and whether the import of natural gas and crude oil from Russia will be impacted due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict. “We are monitoring the situation. So far as oil imports are concerned from Russia, contrary to what’s played up in the media, it is miniscule,” the Minister said. ASU MR
