Parliament Question: Availability Status of LPG Supply

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6390 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02nd April, 2026 Availability Status of LPG Supply 6390 Shri Sachithanantham R: प(cid:282)े ो(cid:871)लयम एवं (cid:292)ाकृ(cid:467)तक गैस म(cid:287)ं ी

Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:

(a) the basis on which the Government claims that there is no shortage of LPG in the country, in view of reports from several regions indicating disruption of services by restaurants, college hostels and small food establishments due to non-availability of LPG cylinders along with households long waiting periods for domestic refills;

(b) whether the Government has received complaints from consumers and commercial establishments regarding delays in LPG cylinder supply despite confirmed bookings, if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the details on LPG supply, demand and pending bookings during the ongoing West Asia crisis, State/UT-wise? ANSWER प(cid:282)े ो(cid:871)लयम एवं (cid:292)ाकृ(cid:467)तक गैस म(cid:287)ं ालय म(cid:581) रा(cid:207)यम(cid:287)ं ी ((cid:302)ी सुरेश गोपी) MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI)

(a) to (c): Before the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East on 28 February, India imported about 60 percent of its LPG consumption, out of which about 90 percent was transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. The ensuing crisis has impacted supplies of imported LPG in the country. The Government has undertaken a series of proactive measures to ensure stability in LPG supplies post the outbreak of the conflict. These include rapid increase in production of LPG by 40%, prioritization of domestic LPG consumption, diversification of import sources, dynamic stock management, and inter-regional allocation to address localized shortages.

To boost domestic production of LPG, Government, on 9th March 2026, issued directions to all oil refining companies, including petrochemical complexes, that the entire output of C3 and C4 hydrocarbon streams—such as propane, butane, propylene and butenes—is utilised exclusively for LPG production and supplied only to the Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (IOCL, HPCL and BPCL). Further, refineries were also instructed not to divert these streams for manufacture of petrochemical products or any downstream derivatives.

OMCs have been directed to ensure that the LPG so produced is supplied exclusively to domestic LPG consumers. As a result of these initiatives, domestic LPG production has been increased by 40 per cent.

While domestic LPG supplies have been prioritised, commercial LPG supplies were regulated in order to avoid hoarding & black marketing, as commercial LPG is sold over the counter. After coordinating with State Governments & restaurant/hotel associations, Government started supplies of 20% to commercial consumers, which was further enhanced to an overall allocation of 50%, including 10% linked to PNG expansion reforms by StateGovernments. This allocation was prioritised for key sectors such as restaurants, dhabas, hotels, industrial canteens, food processing and dairy units, subsidised canteens run by State Governments or local bodies, community kitchens, and 5 kg FTL cylinders for migrant labourers. From 14.03.2026 to 21.03.2026, approximately 15,440 MT of commercial LPG has been uplifted across States and UTs. Additionally, educational institutions and hospitals continue to receive 100% of supplies, accounting for around 50% of the total commercial LPG allocation.

In continuation of these measures, the Government have further enhanced allocation of commercial LPG by an additional 20%, taking the total allocation to 70% of the pre-crisis level on 27 March (including the 10% reform-linked component). This additional allocation is being prioritised for labour-intensive and core industrial sectors, including steel, automobile, textile, dye, chemicals and plastics, with preference to process industries and those requiring LPG for specialised heating purposes where substitution with natural gas is not feasible.

Entities seeking allocation under this additional 20% are required to comply with existing conditions relating to registration with OMCs and application for PNG connections to CGD entities, as stipulated earlier. However, in cases where LPG is required for specialised process use that cannot be substituted by natural gas, such requirements are being waived.

While prioritizing supplies, many temporary demand management measures have also been taken in domestic LPG segment like implementation of inter-refill gap of 25 days for urban areas and 45 days for rural areas, rationalized stock management at bottling plants, etc. As a result of these steps and large scale panic booking by consumers, average waiting period

(backlog) for refill delivery has increased from 1.2 days (varying between 0.6 to 22 days) to about 5.7 days (varying between 0.8 to 16 days) as of 30.03.2026.

While Government & OMCs receive complaints relating to LPG supplies, Government remains alert to all these issues and continues to make efforts necessary to resolve them. ******