New Delhi: Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that India has taken several steps to safeguard fuel supplies amid disruptions in global energy markets caused by the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Making a statement in the House, the minister said the government is closely monitoring the evolving situation and has ensured the continued availability of petroleum products across the country.
Puri noted that the global energy market is facing an unprecedented situation. The disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for nearly 20% of the world’s crude oil, natural gas, and LPG, has created major uncertainty in global supply chains.
Despite the disruption, he said India’s crude supply position remains secure. Before the crisis, about 45% of India’s crude imports passed through the Hormuz route. However, the country has diversified its sources over the years, according to an official statement.
According to the minister, non-Hormuz sources now account for nearly 70% of India’s crude imports, compared with 55% before the conflict. India currently imports crude from 40 countries, up from 27 in 2006-07. He said this diversification has strengthened the country’s energy security.
Puri assured the House that there is no shortage of petrol, diesel, kerosene, aviation turbine fuel, or fuel oil. Retail outlets across the country remain fully stocked, and supply chains are functioning normally. The government has also issued additional allocations of PDS kerosene to states.
On natural gas, the minister said supplies are being managed through prioritised allocation. India produces around 90 MMSCMD of natural gas domestically. Although imports from some Gulf sources were affected, the shortfall has largely been addressed through alternative LNG cargoes arriving through other supply routes.
Domestic piped gas for households and CNG for vehicles continue to receive full supply, while industrial users and fertiliser plants are receiving regulated allocations to maintain essential production.
The minister also outlined steps taken to secure the LPG supply. Earlier, around 60% of India’s LPG imports came from Gulf countries such as Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. The government has now diversified procurement by securing cargoes from the US, Norway, Canada, Algeria, and Russia.
Refineries have also been directed to maximise LPG output. As a result, LPG production has increased by 28% in the last five days, he said.
Puri emphasised that the government’s top priority is to ensure an uninterrupted cooking gas supply to over 33 crore households, particularly poor and vulnerable families. The standard delivery cycle for domestic LPG cylinders remains 2.5 days, unchanged from pre-crisis levels.
To prevent hoarding and black marketing, the government has introduced several demand-management measures. These include a minimum booking gap of 25 days in urban areas and 45 days in rural regions. The Delivery Authentication Code system is also being expanded to ensure transparent distribution.
The government has also regulated commercial LPG sales temporarily to prevent diversion and ensure fair distribution to genuine users such as restaurants and hospitality businesses.
To reduce pressure on LPG and gas supply, alternate fuels such as kerosene, fuel oil, biomass and RDF pellets are being made available for commercial and industrial use during the crisis period.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said India has remained in close contact with Iran in recent days on matters related to maritime movement and energy security.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has spoken with Iran’s foreign minister several times over the past few days.
“Iran’s foreign minister and India’s Jaishankar have had three phone calls in recent days to discuss safe passage of ships and energy security,” Jaiswal told reporters.
