LPG panic hurts country, fuel supplies secure, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday warned those blackmarketing LPG and fuel, saying action will be taken against such elemets. Addressing panic around the LPG crisis, he said those creating fear are exposing themselves and hurting the country. Modi highlighted India's energy security measures, noting that strategic petroleum reserves have grown to over 50 lakh tonnes and household LPG connections have risen from 14 crore in 2014 to 33 crore. He also cited doubled LNG terminals and efforts to shield citizens from the Russia-Ukraine crisis, keeping urea prices at INR 300 despite global costs of INR 3,000 per bag.

Earlier in the day, Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told the Lok Sabha that India's crude oil supply remains secure despite the conflict in West Asia, even as the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was "unprecedented".

"There is no shortage of petrol, diesel, kerosene, ATF or fuel oil. Retail outlets across the country are stocked and supply chains for these products are functioning normally. Additional allocation of PDS kerosene has been issued to all the States," he said, adding that panic over LPG was driven by "consumer anxiety".

While describing the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz as unprecedented, Puri said India's share of non-Hormuz crude imports has increased to about 70 per cent. He, however, conceded that the world had "not faced a moment like this in energy history."

Responding to Opposition concerns over an alleged LPG shortage, the minister reiterated there was "no shortage" and that supply chains for petroleum products were functioning normally.

Puri said imports earlier sourced largely from Gulf nations-including Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait-were now being diversified to suppliers such as the United States, Norway, Canada, Algeria and Russia. LPG production has been increased by 28 per cent in the past five days through refinery directives, he added.

He said diplomatic outreach by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had helped secure crude volumes exceeding what the disrupted route could have delivered. India now sources crude from 40 countries, compared with 27 in 2006-07, while refineries are operating at high capacity utilisation, in some cases exceeding 100 per cent, he added.

The minister said the government's priority was ensuring uninterrupted supply to India's 33-crore households, particularly poorer families. The average LPG delivery time remains 2.5 days, while hospitals and educational institutions have been placed on priority supply.

To curb hoarding, Delivery Authentication Code coverage will be expanded from 50 per cent to 90 per cent of consumers. A minimum booking gap of 25 days in urban areas and 45 days in rural and remote regions has also been introduced.

Commercial LPG has been temporarily regulated to prevent black-marketing, Puri said, adding that leaving the deregulated market unrestricted during supply constraints could enable hoarding and diversion.

In a separate briefing, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said a committee of executive directors from Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited had approved the release of a limited quantity of commercial cylinders. India has about 25,000 LPG distributors and delivers around 50 lakh cylinders daily. She added that an additional 40,000 kilo-litres of kerosene had been allocated to States and that there had been no dry-out at any of the country's one lakh petrol pumps.

PM Modi talks to Iranian president

New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi on Thursday evening had a conversation with Iranian President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian. PM Modi expressed his concern over the escalating tensions, loss of lives and damage to civilian infrastructure.

"The safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities. I reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged for dialogue and diplomacy," PM Modi posted on social media.