LPG production has surged by 28% in the past five days due to refinery directives, as revealed by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, in Parliament. The government’s top priority is ensuring no shortage of LPG for over 33 crore Indian families, especially the vulnerable segments. Domestic LPG supply remains secure, with the delivery timeline unchanged at 2.5 days from booking.
Field reports indicate that consumer anxiety, not supply shortages, is driving hoarding and panic-booking at distributor and retail levels. The minister emphasized that the rush-booking pressure is a demand distortion, not a supply failure. To prevent undocumented diversion, the Delivery Authentication Code coverage is being expanded to 90% of consumers.
To manage demand, a minimum booking gap of 25 days in urban areas and 45 days in rural and ‘durgam kshetra’ regions has been implemented. Commercial LPG regulation aims to curb black marketing without penalizing the hospitality sector. A three-member committee has been formed to ensure genuine commercial volume reaches authentic users first.
Alternate fuel options are being activated to alleviate pressure on LPG and gas channels. The non-subsidized consumer price currently stands at Rs 913 post a recent Rs 60 adjustment, with the government absorbing Rs 74 of the Rs 134 per cylinder adjustment required by global market conditions. The effective additional cost for a PMUY household is less than 80 paise per day.
