Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir)

As tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate, their ripple effects are beginning to be felt in India, with growing concerns over an alleged shortage of cooking gas in several parts of the country. Amid this uncertainty, a powerful example of unity and community support has emerged from Jammu.

In the Sainik Colony area, the Shri Ram Leela Club has launched a unique initiative called "Ram Rasoi." The community kitchen has been set up to assist families who may struggle due to gas shortages by providing traditional earthen stoves and firewood, ensuring that no household faces difficulty in preparing meals.

More than just a logistical arrangement, Ram Rasoi reflects a deeper message of resilience and togetherness. Women from the locality are coming together to cook on traditional stoves, symbolising both self-reliance and collective strength.

Adding to the spirit of solidarity, devotional singing and bhajans are being organised alongside, reinforcing a message of hope and unity--that India stands strong in the face of challenges and overcomes adversity through shared effort.

At a time of uncertainty, Jammu's Ram Rasoi stands as a living example of how communities can come together, support one another, and turn crisis into an opportunity for collective resilience.

Earlier this month, Congress workers staged a protest outside the Indian National Congress headquarters in Delhi on March 13 over the alleged shortage of LPG cylinders, demanding the resignation of Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

The demonstrators accused the Centre of failing to ensure an adequate supply of cooking gas and misleading the public about the situation.

During the protest, party workers set up a makeshift chulha (traditional stove) and prepared tea as a symbolic demonstration, raising slogans against the government and highlighting the difficulties faced by households due to the reported shortage.

Protesters claimed that many families across the country are struggling to obtain LPG cylinders and have been forced to revert to traditional cooking methods.

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As this happened, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday highlighted that the situation in West Asia amid the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict was "worrisome" and had a severe impact on the global economy and people's lives.

"The region where this war is taking place is also an important route for our trade with other countries of the world. In particular, a large part of our needs for crude oil and gas is met by this very region," the PM said in Lok Sabha.