India Says LPG Supply Remains Secure
India has diversified its liquefied petroleum gas import sources and stepped up domestic output to prevent shortages amid disruptions linked to the West Asia conflict, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in Parliament. The government said LPG supplies for households remain protected even as concerns over shipping routes and panic buying grew in some areas.
India Diversifies LPG Import Sources
Puri said India had moved beyond its earlier heavy dependence on Gulf suppliers such as Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. According to the minister, India is now securing LPG cargoes from the United States, Norway, Canada, Algeria, and Russia in addition to available Gulf supplies. He said this diversification was part of a wider strategy to shield the country from global energy disruptions.
LPG Output Raised Amid Supply Concerns
The government has also directed refineries to maximise LPG production and route the entire additional output towards domestic cooking gas supply. Puri said LPG production had risen by 28% over the previous five days due to refinery directives, while further procurement was underway. He added that the usual delivery cycle for household LPG cylinders remains unchanged at around 2.5 days from booking to delivery.
Domestic Consumers Get Priority Supply
The minister said the government’s priority is to protect supply for more than 33 crore domestic LPG consumers, especially poor and vulnerable households. He also said hospitals and educational institutions have been placed on uninterrupted priority supply. At the same time, commercial LPG distribution has been brought under tighter regulation to prevent hoarding, diversion, and black marketing during the current disruption. The government has allocated part of the available commercial LPG volume through a monitored system while encouraging alternate fuel options for some business users. Officials have maintained that there is no actual shortage and that panic-driven booking, rather than supply failure, is behind local pressure in some markets.
