The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) on Saturday announced that an additional 20 per cent of commercial liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has been allocated across the country.
This move takes the total commercial LPG allocated for commercial purposes to 50 per cent.
This LPG will be given on priority to restaurants, dhabas, hotels, industrial canteens, food processing/dairies, subsidised canteens/outlets run by state governments or local bodies for food, community kitchens, and as 5kg Free Trade LPG (FTL) cylinders for migrant labourers.
"20 States/UTs have issued orders to allocate the non-domestic LPG in line with the guidelines issued by the Government of India. For rest of the States/UTs, PSU Oil Marketing companies are releasing commercial LPG cylinders. A total of around 13,479 metric tonnes have been uplifted during the last one week by commercial entities in the States/UTs," an MoPNG statement said.
➡️ Raids continue across States/UTs to check #LPG hoarding and black marketing
— PIB India (@PIB_India) March 21, 2026
➡️ India’s maritime sector continues to operate smoothly with no congestion reported across ports
➡️ Developments in #Gulf and #WestAsia continue to be monitored, with priority on safety and welfare…
This comes as authorities have noted a decline in people panic buying gas cylinders, even as the war between Iran and US-Israel forces rages on.
The MoPNG also noted that more than 3,500 raids have been conducted so far to curb the black market trade of LPG cylinders, as a result of which 1,400 cylinders have been have been seized in various parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra.
The petroleum ministry added that the highest importance was being given to LPG and PNG to be used for domestic purposes, as well as in hospitals and educational institutions.
The arrival of two Indian-flagged LPG tankers from the Gulf, after crossing the tumultous Hormuz Strait, is said to have provided a major boost to India's LPG reserves amid the chaos in the Gulf.
The two tankers—Shivalik and Nanda Devi—were allowed to cross the strait as a part of India's ongoing diplomatic discussions with Iranian officials as a friendly nation.
They will likely be followed by two more such tankers—Pine Gas and Jag Vasant—which are expected to begin their journey to India over the weekend.
