Another inter-ministerial briefing was held on Thursday at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, which was attended by senior officials from the Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ports, Shipping and Waterways, External Affairs, and Information and Broadcasting. The briefing shared updates on key areas, including fuel supply, maritime activities, and assistance being extended to Indian nationals in the region.
Energy Supply and Fuel Availability
Crude and Refineries
All refineries are operating at high capacity with adequate crude inventories, and sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel are being maintained.
Retail Outlets
No cases of fuel dry-outs have been reported at retail outlets, and supplies of petrol and diesel continue to be maintained regularly.
Citizens are advised not to resort to panic buying as adequate stocks are available.
Natural Gas
Priority sectors continue to receive protected supplies, including 100% supply to domestic PNG and CNG transport, while supplies to industrial and commercial consumers are being regulated at around 80%.
(CGD) entities have been advised to prioritise PNG connections for commercial establishments such as hotels, restaurants and canteens, and commercial establishments can obtain connections from authorised CGD entities. Companies, including IGL, MGL, GAIL Gas and BPCL, are offering incentives for PNG connections, and timelines for connections are being reduced to encourage wider adoption, along with mass awareness initiatives.
The Government of India, vide letter dated 16 March 2026, has requested States and UTs to facilitate CGD expansion by issuing deemed permissions for pending applications, approving new permissions within 24 hours, waiving road restoration and permission charges, relaxing working hours and seasons, and appointing State nodal officers for coordination and faster implementation.
The Government of India, vide letter dated 18 March 2026, has offered States and UTs an additional 10% allocation of commercial LPG linked to reforms supporting transition from LPG to PNG.
Commercial LPG consumers in urban areas are being encouraged to shift to PNG, with over 5,600 consumers already switching in recent days. These measures are expected to reduce pressure on LPG demand.
LPG
LPG supply continues to be monitored in view of the prevailing geopolitical situation.
No dry-outs have been reported at distributorships.
Online LPG bookings have increased from 84% to 94%, while Delivery
Authentication Code coverage has expanded to 83% to prevent diversion.
Panic bookings have declined to around 57 lakh, and domestic LPG cylinder deliveries continue as normal.
17 States and UTs have issued orders for allocation of non-domestic LPG, and commercial LPG supply is being made available across the country.
Kerosene
An additional allocation of 48,000 KL of kerosene has been provided to States and UTs, with identification of distribution points underway.
15 States and UTs have issued SKO allocation orders, while some States have indicated no requirement.
Meetings conducted by State Governments
State Governments and UTs are monitoring supply under the Essential Commodities Act and LPG Control Order and have been advised to conduct coordinated inspections and surprise checks.
The Government vide Letter dated 13.03.2026 has requested the Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs to direct DMs/Collectors and other enforcement agencies to conduct coordinated inspections and surprise checks at Petrol Pumps, LPG distributorships, storage points etc. to curb any malpractices.
Govt. of India vide letter dated 18.03.2026 has requested all States/UTs –
► To maintain strict vigilance to curb hoarding, black marketing, diversion of domestic LPG and other malpractices.
► Stringent action may be taken against violators under the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, Petroleum Act, 1934, Petroleum Rules 2002, Motor Spirit and HSD order 2005 and other applicable laws.
► Adequate administrative and logistical measures include smooth and uninterrupted movement of LPG tankers and cylinders etc.
► To evolve appropriate distribution methodologies for commercial LPG, keeping in view local priorities and requirements.
► Public advisories may be issued to prevent panic buying, encourage judicious use of LPG and disseminate accurate information.
All District Collectors and FC&S officials are requested to conduct regular enforcement actions on a daily basis.
Further, all States/UTs are requested to conduct daily press briefings to help disseminate the correct information.
All States/UTs are requested to establish helpline numbers and ensure their wide publicity at regular intervals.
31 States/UTs have setup control rooms to monitor the situation. Some of the States/UTs are also doing daily press briefs.
25 States/UTs have setup District Level Monitoring Committee.
All those States/UTs that have not setup Control rooms and District Monitoring committees are requested to do so on an urgent basis.
Enforcement action
Enforcement actions continue across States to curb hoarding and black marketing, with over 6,000 raids conducted and more than 11,000 cylinders seized.
Significant actions have been reported in States including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana, involving seizures, FIRs and arrests.
All the States/UTs govt. to conduct regular raids so that black marketing and hoarding can be arrested.
PSU Oil Marketing Companies are conducting over 2,000 daily surprise inspections at retail outlets and LPG distributorships to ensure smooth supply and prevent irregularities.
Government Measures
The Government continues to prioritise uninterrupted LPG supply and PNG expansion, particularly for households and priority sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions.
Measures include enhanced refinery production, revised booking intervals of 25 days in urban areas and up to 45 days in rural areas, and prioritised allocation.
Alternate fuel options like Kerosene and coal have been offered to ease pressure on LPG demand. MoEFCC has already advised the State Pollution Control Board to permit the use of kerosene and coal as an alternate fuel.
Ministry of Coal has already issued an order to Coal India and Singareni Collieries to allot higher quantities to States for distributing coal to small, medium and other consumers.
States have been advised to facilitate the new PNG connections for both domestic and commercial consumers. A proposal for 10% additional allocation of commercial
LPG has been made available to the States, facilitating and expediting the process.
Under Section-3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, Govt. vide Gazette notification dated 18.03.2026 has designated the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) as the nodal agency for the collection, compilation, maintenance and analysis of information. All the concerned entities engaged in production, processing, refining, storage, transportation, import and export, marketing, distribution, or consumption of petroleum products or natural gas have been directed to furnish information to PPAC.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways continues to monitor shipping movements, port operations, safety of seafarers and continuity of maritime trade in view of the evolving situation in West Asia.
