Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry Hardeep Singh Puri said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday that there is “no shortage of petrol, diesel, kerosene, ATF or fuel oil” in the country. Amid reports of LPG shortage, the Petroleum Minister also listed measures taken by the government to ensure LPG production and availability.
Hardeep Singh Puri said this while issuing a detailed response on Thursday to questions about the disruption of global energy supplies due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia between Iran, Israel and the US.
Read also | LPG Shortage News LIVE: India has sufficient gas production, says Hardeep Puri
However, Singh noted that India, like many countries, has to deal with the consequences of the conflict. Here are the best quotes from Hardeep Singh Puri’s Lok Sabha speech:
On demand and offer of LPG
1. Singh said, “…In the last five days, LPG production has increased by 28 per cent through refinery directives and further purchases are actively underway.”
2. He said domestic supplies are fully protected and the supply cycle is unchanged. “The standard time from reservation to delivery for domestic LPG cylinders remains 2.5 days, unchanged from pre-crisis standards,” the minister said.
3. He added that continuous priority supplies have been given to hospitals and educational institutions; their access to LPG is fully assured regardless of wider demand conditions.
4. A minimum reservation gap of 25 days has been introduced as a demand management measure in urban areas and 45 days in rural and durgam kshetra areas, Singh said.
5. Singh said “Delivery Authentication Code” coverage is expanding from 50 percent to 90 percent of consumers; under this system, the bottle can only be logged as delivered when the consumer confirms receipt via a one-time code on their registered mobile phone, making it virtually impossible to conceal an undocumented redirect.
Read also | From today, 20% of the average monthly commercial LPG will be allocated
6. Singh also noted “field reports” indicating hoarding and panic bookings at the distributor and retail level, “driven more by consumer anxiety than any real shortage of supply”. He said the House should be clear on this: “the rush booking pressure in some locations reflects a disruption in demand, not a disruption in production or supply.”
7. Hardeep Singh Puri also briefed the House on LPG with cargoes secured from the United States, Norway, Canada, Algeria and Russia, besides available sources from the Persian Gulf.
8. “It should be noted that India used to import around 60 per cent of its LPG requirements from Gulf countries like Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and 40 per cent is produced domestically,” Sigh said.
For commercial LPG
1. “In a landmark decision, from today, 20% of the average monthly commercial LPG requirement will be allocated to OMCs in coordination with state governments to prevent hoarding or black marketing,” Singh said.
2. Singh said commercial LPG was regulated to prevent black marketing. “Commercial LPG is sold in a completely deregulated, over-the-counter market at market price, without any government subsidy.”
“There is no registration system, no reservation requirements, no digital verification and no delivery confirmation mechanism. Any business or individual can buy bottles in any quantity at the point of sale, without government control during normal times,” he added.
Read also | ‘Shri Ram ke paas bhi cylinder nahi hai’: Ashneer Grover reacts to LPG shortage
3. He noted that if commercial supply were to remain completely unrestricted, pressure cylinders purchased over the counter could be diverted to the gray market at the expense of both genuine commercial consumers and domestic households.
4. “Therefore, the government has moved in a responsible direction: to regulate this channel with clear priorities and a transparent allocation mechanism,” he said.
“A three-member committee consisting of managing directors of IOCL, HPCL and BPCL was constituted on March 9, 2026. Extensive discussions with state civil supply departments and restaurant associations across the country have taken place and are continuing,” he said.
On alternative fuel options
1. Alternative fuels are being activated to reduce pressure on LPG and gas channels, Singh said, adding that kerosene is available through retail outlets and PDS channels and heating oil is being made available to industrial and commercial consumers.
2. “The MoEFCC has advised the State Pollution Control Boards to allow the use of biomass, RDF pellets and kerosene/coal as alternative fuels for the hospitality and restaurant segment for 1 month for the duration of this crisis period, which would allow a wider range of establishments to switch over and free up LPG for priority consumers,” Singh said.
About LPG prices
Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that despite the Saudi contract price increasing by 41 percent between July 2023 and March 2026, the price for PMUY beneficiaries fell by 32 percent during the same period and remains flat. ₹613 for a 14.2 kg cylinder in Delhi.
He said in the Lok Sabha that the unsubsidized consumer price costs ₹913 after recent ₹60 compared to the market price of approx ₹987.
from ₹134 per cylinder the adjustment required by the prevailing global market conditions was absorbed by the government ₹74, he added.
Read also | How much does a bottle of LPG cost today? Check prices in major cities
“The effective additional cost to a PMUY household is under 80 paise per day,” Singh said.
He mentioned that equivalent LPG prices in the neighborhood are “ ₹1046 in Pakistan, ₹1,242 in Sri Lanka and ₹1,208 in Nepal.”
On PNG, CNG — natural gas
Singh said domestic gas for households and CNG for vehicles are getting 100% supply without restriction.
He informed that industrial and manufacturing consumers will get up to 80 percent of their previous six-month average.
“The fertilizer plants will receive up to 70 percent, which will protect the agricultural input chain before the sowing season,” he said.
“Refineries and petrochemical units are absorbing the managed reduction, with gas being diverted to higher priority sectors,” Singh added.
He told the Lok Sabha that large shipments of LNG are coming in almost daily through alternative supply routes and India has sufficient gas production and supply to maintain this position even in the event of a prolonged conflict.
“Energy generation for every household and industry is fully protected,” he said.
For oil, petrol, diesel
Assuring that India’s oil supply position is secure, Hardeep Singh Puri claimed that “volumes secured are in excess of what Hormuz would supply”.
He said, “There is no shortage of petrol, diesel, kerosene, ATF or fuel oil. Availability of petrol, diesel, aviation turbine fuel, kerosene and fuel oil is fully assured. Retail outlets across the country are stocked and supply chains for these products are functioning normally. Additional allocation of PDS kerosene has been released to all states.”
He also informed that refineries are operating at high capacity utilization; in several cases they exceed 100 percent.
Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “extraordinary diplomatic outreach and goodwill” that helped India secure volumes of oil “exceeding what a disrupted cross-strait route would have delivered in the same amount of time.”
About spreading rumors or false narratives
Hardeep Singh Puri said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, “This is not the time to spread rumors or fake stories. India is going through the worst global energy disruption in recorded history.”
“The crude supply is flowing. Gas is preferred for households and farms. LPG production is up 28 percent. Consumer prices are well below what markets and regional benchmarks would dictate. Schools are open. Gasoline is in the forecourt. Every citizen, regardless of political affiliation, has a stake in this,” Singh said.
“India must stand united behind its energy warriors, the institutions managing this crisis and the national interest. The record of preparation and the record of response speak for themselves,” he said.
