The government on Thursday assured citizens that adequate stocks of petrol, diesel and LPG are available across the country amid the evolving situation in West Asia, while confirming that all Indian seafarers in the region remain safe.
During an inter-ministerial media briefing held at the National Media Centre, officials from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways outlined measures being taken to maintain fuel availability, ensure maritime safety and prevent disruption in essential supplies.
The government advised citizens not to indulge in panic buying of petrol, diesel or LPG, stating that efforts are being made to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential fuels across the country. Citizens were also urged to avoid rumours, rely on official sources and use digital LPG booking platforms.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said supply to domestic LPG consumers, domestic PNG users and CNG transport networks is being maintained at 100 per cent despite the geopolitical situation.
The ministry said online LPG cylinder bookings rose to nearly 99 per cent on an industry basis, while Delivery Authentication Code-based deliveries increased to around 96 per cent to prevent diversion and black marketing of cylinders.
According to the ministry, around 1.34 crore LPG cylinders were delivered over the last three days against bookings of approximately 1.32 crore cylinders. On Wednesday alone, nearly 47.5 lakh LPG cylinders were delivered.
To strengthen enforcement against hoarding and illegal diversion, more than 5,000 raids were conducted across the country during the last three days. Surprise inspections were also carried out at over 3,100 retail outlets and LPG distributorships by PSU oil marketing companies.
The ministry said penalties were imposed on 463 LPG distributorships, while 81 distributorships have been suspended so far.
The government also highlighted efforts to expand the use of piped natural gas (PNG) as an alternative fuel source. According to the ministry, over 58,500 PNG consumers have surrendered their LPG connections through the MYPNGD.in portal till May 20.
Since March 2026, around 7.64 lakh PNG connections have been activated, while infrastructure has been created for an additional 2.81 lakh connections.
The ministry said 22 States and Union Territories are receiving additional commercial LPG allocations linked to PNG expansion reforms.
On fuel pricing, the government said rising tensions in West Asia had led to higher crude oil prices globally. To shield consumers from the impact, excise duty on petrol and diesel was reduced by Rs 10 per litre.
The government also revised export levies on fuel products, reducing the export levy on diesel and aviation turbine fuel, while imposing an export duty on petrol.
“All retail outlets are operating normally across the country and there are adequate stocks of petrol and diesel available at all petrol pumps,” the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said maritime operations remain stable and all Indian seafarers in the Gulf region are safe.
“No incident involving Indian-flagged vessels or foreign vessels with Indian crew has been reported in the past 72 hours,” the ministry said.
The Directorate General of Shipping has so far facilitated the safe repatriation of more than 3,316 Indian seafarers, including 99 in the last 72 hours.
