India is stepping up efforts to enhance its strategic petroleum reserves, especially in wake of the Middle East crisis and the oil supply shock it has brought about. The government is looking for private investors to develop the country’s largest strategic petroleum reserve in Odisha. India is stepping up efforts to strengthen its strategic crude storage following the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, which exposed the country’s vulnerability to sudden supply interruptions. The strait’s abrupt closure cut off around 40% of India’s crude supplies, leaving refiners scrambling to source alternative cargoes from across the world, often at higher costs.