Across India, many schools are trying to find alternative fuel sources to LPG such as firewood and induction stoves for their mid-day meal programs. Schools in rural areas of states like Odisha and Telangana, which already use firewood, have been saved from a crisis due to LPG shortages in light of the conflict in West Asia. Many schools restrict their daily meals, which affects the nutritional quality of the food provided to children.
LPG and Oil Crisis Update 14 March 2026
The provision of domestic LPG cylinders to mid-day meal programs helped to avert an immediate crisis as the government officially announced a restriction on commercial LPG supply only. But reports suggest that as schools ask for bottle refills, the situation may turn sour. The ongoing interruption of LPG imports due to the war coincided with the trial period. This means fewer students in schools and the impending closure of schools after exams brings relief to school authorities.
Telangana has 24,972 schools. “There are nearly 9,000 schools that rely only on LPG for the mid-day meal programme. Some also have induction cookers,” said Naveen Nicolas, director of school education, Telangana. Most of the remaining schools depend on local firewood for food preparation.
In Hyderabad, meals are supplied from centralized kitchens run by trusts or NGOs. “All our operations are steam-based and use firewood and briquettes (compressed blocks of coal). LPG consumption is minimal for workers and necessary supplies are available,” said Ramana Reddy, manager of Manna Trust, which supplies food to 950 schools.
Odisha is currently serving food to 16,46,497 students out of 38,62,521 enrolled in 50,000 schools under the PM POSHAN scheme. In rural parts of the state, meals are traditionally prepared using firewood, while authorities are beginning to face a potential fuel crisis in urban pockets.
In Karnataka, the program relies largely on domestic LPG cylinders supplied by the state government to schools and anganwadi centers, protecting it from the shortage of commercial cylinders affecting hotels and restaurants across the state. However, the shortage has started affecting private accommodation facilities such as hostels and Paying Guest (PG) facilities.
Meanwhile, Sunita, a mid-day meal attendant at Kishanpura Primary School in Haryana’s Jind, said LPG cylinders are being supplied, though the gas agencies are taking calls only after repeated calls.
In Darbhanga, Madhubani, Gaya, Purnia, Aurangabad, Rohtas and Bhojpur districts of Bihar, school kitchens are switching to traditional clay stoves made of mud using firewood and coal.
Manju Devi, a cook at an anganwadi in Samastipur district, said, “A reservation was made a week ago to refill the gas cylinder, but we still haven’t received it. So the principal ordered us to cook midday meals on a chulha (mud stove) so that the children don’t go hungry.”
In Bihar, nearly 1.3 million children studying in government schools eat mid-day meal every day.
In Assam, many schools in rural and semi-urban areas rely on firewood, saving them from the crisis. “We provide mid-day meals to a sizeable number of students for whom we require two LPG cylinders per month. We requested for the cylinder and received it a few days ago. Fortunately, Assam’s final exams are coming to an end and schools will remain closed till the next session after the declaration of results. Otherwise, we could have faced a problem,” said Hem Chandra Kakati, principal of Assam Railway High School Guwahati.
Radha (name changed), a mid-day meal organizer at a government school in Chennai, has two bottles stocked in the institution. She is not worried about running out of stock because the academic year ends in April. “We cook food for more than 300 children and since the exams are going on, the first graders don’t come until the afternoon. Also, since it’s the exam season, not many students go to school every day. So we have enough LPG cylinders to last us until April,” she said. The authorities have informed the gas agencies that priority must be given to schools and Anganwadis for LPG cylinders.
Krishna Pradhan, state president of ASHA Workers’ Union in West Bengal, said that all Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) centers are struggling to keep their kitchens functional, especially in rural areas. “Most schools in rural areas and ICDS centers have shifted to wood or coal stoves to continue cooking. Centers closer to cities are doing a little better. But everyone is struggling,” Ms. Pradhan added. She also said that many have resorted to bringing gas cylinders from their homes to ensure that young children do not go without food.
Several community kitchens in Kolkata, which serve mid-day meals to 5-7 schools, have also resorted to making only khichdi as the LPG cylinder crisis worsens. The hostel, which functions as a subsidized residence for Presidency University students, has had its kitchen closed since the crisis began.
Published – 14 March 2026 22:40 IST
