India plans new strategic petroleum reserves in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh

India needs a lot of oil to run its cars, buses, factories and machines.

But India does not have much oil of its own, so it buys nearly all of it from other countries.

That means if something goes wrong far away, India could run out of oil or have to pay much more for it.

Right now there is fighting in West Asia, which makes oil prices go up and down.

So India wants to build big underground tanks to keep extra oil safe, like a giant fuel pantry.

It already has three such storage places and is planning to add two more, in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Lawmakers also want India to keep enough oil for 90 days, just like other rich countries do.

India currently keeps enough oil for about 77 days.

Building more storage will help India stay safe if there is ever an oil emergency.