The Centre is pushing expansion of Piped Natural Gas (PNG), with over 3.1 lakh connections gasified in March and more than 2.7 lakh new connections have been added and are being gasified, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) said, adding that the National PNG Drive 2.0 has been extended till June 30.
The move is aimed at strengthening gas-based consumption and addressing concerns over Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) availability amid the ongoing West Asia crisis.
According to MoPNG, natural gas supplies have been prioritised, with 100 percent allocation to domestic PNG and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transport segments, while industrial and commercial consumers connected to the grid are receiving about 80 percent of their average consumption.
Supply to urea plants is being maintained at around 70–75 percent of recent levels. At the same time, enforcement action has been stepped up to curb hoarding and black marketing, with over 3,000 raids conducted and inspections carried out across fuel retail outlets and LPG distributorships. The government has also asked states and union territories to disseminate accurate information through regular press briefings to counter rumours and prevent panic buying.
