India, May 3 -- Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday said India expanded its crude oil sourcing base to 41 countries from 27 earlier, as part of efforts to strengthen energy security during the global energy crisis.

"What has happened during this energy crisis in India, it happened because the Govt absorbed the shock at the fiscal system level rather than passing it immediately on to the consumer's wallet," Puri said while speaking at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference - South Gujarat.

He added that long-term planning played a key role in managing the crisis. "Because preparations made over the last 10 years, the decade, came into play exactly when they were needed. We diversified our sources; c...