The government is considering cutting customs duty on critical components of induction cooker to boost domestic manufacturing and tackle rising prices amid the West Asia crisis. An official said that the Commerce and Industry Ministry has also recommended reducing the GST on these stoves from 18 percent to five percent to make them more affordable. The West Asia crisis has disrupted the movement of ships carrying oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns about the supply of cooking gas. Due to this, people are buying induction i.e. electric stoves and utensils compatible with it.
DPIIT’s advice
To address the demand and supply challenges in the induction cooktop sector and to stabilize supply and prices, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in collaboration with the Department of Commerce and the Ministry of Power has held consultations with stakeholders. The government has taken several steps for the sector, including extending the deadline for implementation of Compulsory Quality Control Order (QCO) on certain power equipment by six months to October 2026. Mandatory energy efficiency deadlines have also been extended. Nidhi Kesarwani, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, said that the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) has taken several corrective and safety measures to ensure uninterrupted availability of fuel and gas amid the current crisis.
Disposal of applications for CNG and CBG stations
He said that all pending applications for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Compressed Biogas (CBG) stations are being disposed of expeditiously. This includes disposal of all 467 applications received for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Compressed Biogas (CBG) dispensing stations between March 25 and April 21. He said that out of 467 cases, final licenses were given in 157 cases and in 38 cases prior approval was given for construction of new CNG/CBG dispensing stations. He further said that since March, 41 biogas cylinder filling and storage plants have been approved, and subsequently licenses have been issued to 14 plants.
Guidelines regarding LNG
Temporary storage has been relaxed for Superior Kerosene Oil, and storage of up to 2,500 liters has been allowed. He said guidelines allowing filling of LNG in cryogenic cylinders have been issued to promote decentralized LNG supply and improve fuel availability during any disruption. Other steps taken by PESO include allowing LPG unloading at Porbandar jetty, and granting temporary six-month exemption from CNG/CBG compressor approval requirements for faster commissioning of dispensing stations.
These orders were also given
Furthermore, Kesarwani said that long-term initiatives have been implemented to promote alternative fuels. Guidelines were issued last month to install ‘District Pressure Regulating Skids’ at CNG/CBG stations to solve the problem of land shortage and expand gas distribution infrastructure. Guidelines were also issued for filling ‘Liquefied Natural Gas’ (LNG) in cryogenic cylinders to ease the supply of natural gas in remote or unpipelined areas. On April 2, guidelines were issued to allow night-time work, especially for LPG bottling plants. This will increase working hours, which will also increase production capacity.
