India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves: 74 Days of Stock, Expansion Planned

• India currently holds strategic petroleum reserves sufficient for 74 days, as stated by Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
• These reserves are emergency stocks of crude oil designed to protect against global supply disruptions like wars or price shocks, acting as an 'insurance policy'.
• The government-owned crude oil is stored in massive underground rock caverns at operational sites in Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru, and Padur, totaling 5.33 million tonnes capacity.
• New facilities are planned for Chandikhol and Padur, with proposed sites at Bikaner (salt caverns) and Bina to reach the international norm of 90 days of reserve stock.
• Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) manages these facilities, filling them when global crude prices are low and releasing oil to refineries during emergencies.