New Delhi, June 29 -- The US-Israel strike on Iran on February 28 and the corresponding response from Iran paralysed the movement of sea traffic in one of the most important chokepoints of global energy trade- 'The Strait of Hormuz'. With a tenous peace deal in place and a 60-day negotiation between the two sides ongoing, the Strait is finally seeing free movement of tankers and ships. What stood out during the crisis was India's response to the energy needs of its people.

This was achieved through a layered, consumer-first response: control orders within days, a sharp lift in domestic production, an excise cushion on petrol and diesel, aggressive supply diversification and energy diplomacy, a whole-of-government demand-management effort...