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<\/p>\nTFP Bureau,New Delhi, April 5, 2026: The Government of India has undertaken extensive measures across key sectors including energy supply, maritime operations and the safety of Indian nationals in view of the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia. Officials said coordinated efforts are underway to ensure uninterrupted fuel supply, maintain maritime security and provide assistance to Indian citizens in the region.<\/p>\n
Authorities have also appealed to citizens to remain calm, avoid panic buying of petrol, diesel and LPG, and rely only on official information sources. The government emphasized that adequate stocks of essential fuels are available across the country.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has been closely monitoring developments around critical maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz to ensure smooth and uninterrupted supply of petroleum products and LPG across India. Officials stated that refinery operations are running at high capacity and adequate crude inventories are available to meet domestic demand.<\/p>\n
The government has placed the highest priority on domestic LPG and piped natural gas supply, particularly for households, hospitals and educational institutions. Several rationalisation measures have been implemented, including increasing the LPG booking interval from 21 to 25 days in urban areas and up to 45 days in rural areas. Authorities have also encouraged the use of alternative cooking options such as PNG, induction cooktops and electric stoves wherever feasible.<\/p>\n
To support domestic consumption, refineries have increased LPG production. In addition, alternative fuels such as kerosene and coal have been offered to reduce pressure on LPG demand.<\/p>\n
Citizens have been advised to avoid panic purchases of petrol, diesel and LPG. The government has urged people to book LPG cylinders through digital platforms rather than visiting distributors physically.<\/p>\n
Officials also warned against rumours and misinformation circulating on social media and urged citizens to rely on verified government updates. The public has also been encouraged to conserve energy in daily usage during the current international situation.<\/p>\n
Under the Essential Commodities Act and the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Order, state governments have been empowered to take strict action against hoarding, black marketing and diversion of essential commodities.<\/p>\n
States and Union Territories have been instructed to hold daily press briefings, set up dedicated control rooms and helplines, and actively counter misinformation through social and electronic media. District administrations have also intensified enforcement drives and inspections in coordination with oil marketing companies.<\/p>\n
Joint teams of state authorities and public sector oil companies have conducted raids across several regions to curb hoarding and illegal sale of LPG cylinders.<\/p>\n
Officials reported that there have been no dry-outs at LPG distributorships anywhere in the country. Online LPG bookings reached nearly 95 percent of total bookings yesterday, indicating strong adoption of digital systems.<\/p>\n
More than 51 lakh domestic LPG cylinders were delivered across the country in a single day. To prevent diversion at the distributor level, Delivery Authentication Code (DAC)-based deliveries have increased significantly from 53 percent in February 2026 to around 90 percent currently.<\/p>\n
The government has also expanded the availability of smaller 5 kg Free Trade LPG cylinders to help migrant workers and small households. More than 90,000 such cylinders were sold in a single day, while approximately 6.6 lakh units have been sold since March 23, 2026. These cylinders can be purchased by showing a valid identity document without the need for address proof.<\/p>\n
Efforts to expand piped natural gas infrastructure have accelerated across the country. Since March 2026, about 3.6 lakh PNG connections have been activated and over 3.9 lakh consumers have registered for new connections.<\/p>\n
City Gas Distribution companies such as Indraprastha Gas Limited, Mahanagar Gas Limited, GAIL (India) Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited have introduced incentives to encourage households and commercial establishments to adopt PNG connections.<\/p>\n
Authorities have also urged state governments to expedite approvals required for expanding gas pipelines and distribution networks.<\/p>\n
Gas supply to fertilizer plants, which had temporarily reduced due to supply constraints, is expected to increase to nearly 90 percent of average consumption beginning April 6. Gas supply to industrial and commercial sectors is also expected to increase.<\/p>\n
Retail petrol pumps across the country are operating normally and fuel availability remains stable. However, the ongoing crisis in West Asia has caused a sharp rise in global crude oil prices.<\/p>\n
To shield consumers from the price surge, the Government of India has reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by \u20b910 per litre. Additionally, export levies have been imposed on diesel and aviation turbine fuel to ensure adequate domestic availability.<\/p>\n
Despite global volatility, retail prices of petrol and diesel in India remain unchanged for consumers.<\/p>\n
The government has also increased kerosene availability to support cooking and lighting needs in certain areas. An additional allocation of 48,000 kilolitres of kerosene has been provided to states and Union Territories.<\/p>\n
Selected fuel stations in each district have been authorised to store and distribute Public Distribution System kerosene in states where kerosene supply had earlier been discontinued.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has been closely monitoring maritime operations and the safety of Indian seafarers in the region. Officials confirmed that all Indian seafarers operating in the western Persian Gulf are safe and no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours.<\/p>\n
Currently, 17 Indian-flagged vessels with around 460 Indian seafarers are operating in the region. The Directorate General of Shipping is coordinating with ship owners, recruitment agencies and Indian missions abroad to monitor their safety.<\/p>\n
A dedicated control room set up by the Directorate General of Shipping is operating round-the-clock and has handled more than 5,000 calls and over 10,000 emails since its activation. In the last 24 hours alone, it received 73 calls and 122 emails.<\/p>\n
Port operations across India remain normal with no congestion reported at ports in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of External Affairs continues to closely monitor the situation in the Gulf and West Asia region. Indian embassies and consulates are maintaining regular contact with the Indian community and providing assistance wherever required.<\/p>\n
A total of 345 Indian fishermen stranded in Iran returned to India yesterday after the Indian Embassy in Tehran facilitated their transit via Armenia.<\/p>\n
Indian missions are operating round-the-clock helplines and providing support for visas, travel arrangements, consular services and emergency assistance.<\/p>\n
Indian students in the region are also receiving support through coordination with local authorities, schools and the National Testing Agency to address academic concerns.<\/p>\n
Flight connectivity between the Gulf region and India is gradually improving. Since February 28, around 7,02,000 passengers have travelled from West Asian countries to India.<\/p>\n
Flights are operating from several countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman. Partial airspace reopening in Qatar has allowed limited flights, while travel from Kuwait and Bahrain is currently being facilitated through nearby airports in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Passengers travelling from Iran are being routed through Armenia and Azerbaijan, while travel from Israel is being facilitated via Egypt and Jordan.<\/p>\n
In a separate incident, the mortal remains of an Indian national who lost his life in an attack on a ship off the coast of Oman have been brought back to India, and authorities are extending all necessary assistance to the bereaved family.<\/p>\n
Officials reiterated that the government continues to monitor the situation closely and remains committed to ensuring the safety of Indian citizens, stable fuel supplies and uninterrupted maritime and aviation operations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fuel supply stable, maritime operations normal and over 7 lakh passengers return to India since February 28<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,1076,27],"tags":[1082],"class_list":["post-6727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-ministry-of-petroleum-natural-gas","category-national","tag-fuel-supply"],"yoast_head":"\n