Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks of the one ‘thing’ India cannot afford as it tackles the multi-pronged challenges from the West Asia conflict. Speaking at the Foundation Day of SIDBI in Mumbai, the Finance Minister said the war in the Gulf had pushed up fuel prices, led to delays in cargo and costlier shipping and was putting pressure on working capital. She flagged higher fertilizer, fuel and gold prices as the big challenges on the external front and emphasised that while India's domestic economic situation remains positive and, resilient, the country could not afford fear-mongering and there was a need to instil confidence among citizens.