Uncertainty in the global energy market has increased due to the war in the Middle East. Its impact is being felt in India also. Meanwhile, the Central Government has made some changes in the rules related to booking of LPG cylinders, so that the supply of gas can reach all the consumers properly.
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri informed in the Parliament that now a gap of 45 days has been kept for the next booking of LPG cylinders in rural areas. That means, once the cylinder is purchased, the rural consumer will have to wait at least 45 days for the next booking. Whereas in cities this time has been fixed at 25 days. The government says that this step has been taken to stop panic booking and hoarding.
Booking time extended in cities also
A few days ago, the government had increased the time for LPG booking in cities from 21 days to 25 days. According to the Petroleum Ministry, where earlier many domestic consumers used to book cylinders once in about 55 days, now they have started booking again within 15 days. Due to this the pressure on supply was increasing.
Priority to domestic consumers
According to Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the main goal of the government is to maintain regular supply of LPG to homes. India imports about 60% of its LPG requirement and about 90% of it comes through the Strait of Hormuz. In such a situation, if there is an interruption in supply, then it is necessary to first provide gas to domestic consumers. For this reason, there has been a slight reduction in the supply of LPG and LNG to some industrial and commercial sectors, so that regular supply of gas can continue to more than 33 crore homes in the country.
There is no need to panic and book the cylinder
The government has appealed to the people not to book cylinders in a hurry due to news of gas shortage. According to the ministry, there is currently sufficient LPG stock to meet domestic needs. Besides, the refinery companies of the country have also increased LPG production by about 25%. Apart from this, India has also explored options to buy crude oil from other countries in case the supply is affected by the Strait of Hormuz, so that the energy supply is not affected much.