Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 28: The Centre on Saturday assured that domestic LPG supply across the country remains stable, with over 54 lakh cylinder refills delivered in a single day despite global geopolitical disruptions affecting supply chains.

According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, there have been no reports of stock shortages at LPG distributorships, and online bookings surged to 91 per cent across the industry. To curb diversion at the distributor level, the implementation of Delivery Authentication Code (DAC)-based deliveries has been significantly expanded, rising from 53 per cent in February to 84 per cent now.

The ministry said all refineries are functioning at high capacity with sufficient crude oil inventories. It also confirmed that the country holds adequate reserves of petrol and diesel, while domestic LPG production has been ramped up to meet consumption needs.

Priority supply is being ensured for household consumption, with full allocation to domestic PNG and CNG transport sectors. Meanwhile, industrial and commercial consumers connected to gas grids are receiving around 80 per cent of their usual supply.

Authorities are also intensifying action against hoarding and black marketing. Around 2,900 raids have been conducted across states and Union Territories, leading to the seizure of over 1,700 cylinders. Public sector oil marketing companies have issued more than 390 show-cause notices to LPG distributors so far.

The government further stated that fuel retail outlets are operating normally nationwide. It also highlighted a reduction in excise duty on petrol and diesel by ?10 per litre.

Addressing concerns over panic buying, the ministry acknowledged that rumours had triggered heavy crowds and unusually high sales at some outlets in certain regions. However, it reiterated that there is no shortage of fuel and urged citizens not to rely on misinformation.