New Delhi: The government-owned city gas distribution companies have rolled out incentives to encourage households to shift from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders to piped natural gas (PNG) connections, as the administration seeks to ease pressure on LPG supplies.
Companies such as Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) and Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) have announced benefits for consumers who opt for PNG connections in the coming weeks.
IGL is offering free gas worth Rs 500 to consumers who register for a PNG connection before 31 March. MGL has waived the Rs 500 registration fee for domestic consumers and the security deposit for commercial consumers.
Other city gas distributors, including GAIL Gas Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, have also announced incentives to encourage customers to transition to PNG connections.
“To promote the PNG connections certain incentives have been announced by some of the gas companies,” Sujata Sharma, joint secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said at an inter-ministerial press briefing Monday. “These steps are taken so that more and more households shift to PNG connections as soon as possible.”
While the government said there is no shortage of crude oil and natural gas, it reiterated Monday that LPG supplies continue to remain a concern despite a 36 percent increase in domestic production from the 5 March levels.
On commercial LPG, the ministry said that state governments have begun distributing cylinders based on priority requirements.
When asked about priority sectors for commercial LPG distribution, Sharma said that schools and hospitals remain high on the priority list, while other sectors will be identified by state governments depending on local needs.
To curb black marketing and hoarding, the government said raids are being conducted by state authorities. Oil marketing companies have also carried out surprise inspections across 1,110 distributors.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said LPG shipments from the Gulf region are arriving at Indian ports.
Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary at the ministry, told reporters that the vessel Shivalik, carrying around 46,000 tonnes of LPG, is expected to arrive at Mundra Port by 5 pm Monday.
“Shivalik LPG carrier, which sailed from the Persian Gulf, crossed the Strait of Hormuz and headed towards India, will be reaching today around 5 pm,” he said.
Ahead of its arrival, the ministry said documentation has been completed and priority berth at the port was arranged to ensure quick unloading of LPG.
Another vessel, Nanda Devi, carrying a similar quantity of LPG, is expected to reach Kandla Port on Tuesday.
As of now, 22 Indian-flagged vessels remain on the western side of the Strait of Hormuz, six of which are carrying LPG. “22 Indian flag vessels with 611 Indian seafarers remain in the west of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. The vessel and all Indian seafarers on board are safe,” Sinha said.
From the eastern side of the Hormuz, the crude oil tanker Jag Laadki has already departed and is expected to arrive at Mundra port Tuesday carrying around 81,000 metric tonnes of crude oil. This will leave only two ships on the eastern side of Hormuz.
“Indian-flag vessel Jag Laadki, which sailed from the UAE on 14th of March, is carrying about 81,000 tonnes of Murban crude oil, is safely en route to India. The vessel and all Indian seafarers on board are safe. They’ll be reaching tomorrow at Mundra Port,” Sinha said.
At the same briefing, Aseem R Mahajan, additional secretary (Gulf) at the Ministry of External Affairs, said that about 2,20,000 passengers have returned to India from West Asia since 28 February 2026.
“In Saudi Arabia, flights are operating from various airports to destinations in India. Flights are also operating from Oman to various destinations in India,” Mahajan said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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