Updates on Key Sectors in View of Developments in West Asia

More than 17.25 Lakh – 5 Kg FTL cylinders sold since 23rd March 2026

Sale of auto LPG by the PSU OMCs increased by 70% with major increase observed in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, West Bengal

22 States/UTs receiving additional commercial LPG allocation linked to PNG expansion reforms

Port operations across India remain normal with no congestion reported

Indian embassy in Iran facilitated movement of 2,373 Indian nationals from Iran to Armenia and Azerbaijan for onward travel to India

April 18, 2026

In light of the evolving situation in West Asia, the Government of India remains actively engaged in ensuring preparedness and continuity across key sectors through coordinated response measures. The following update outlines the steps being taken with regard to energy supply, maritime operations, and support to Indian nationals in the region:

Energy Supply and Fuel Availability

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is taking  steps to ensure uninterrupted availability of petroleum products and LPG across the country, in the context of the ongoing situation involving the Strait of Hormuz. As per Ministry:

Public Advisory and Citizen Awareness

• Citizens are advised to avoid panic purchase of petrol, diesel and LPG as the Govt is making all efforts to ensure availability of petrol, diesel and LPG.
• Beware of rumours and rely on official sources for correct information.
• LPG consumers are requested to use digital booking platforms and avoid visiting distributors.
• Citizens are encouraged to use alternate fuels such as PNG and electric or induction cooktops.
• All citizens are urged to conserve energy in their daily use during the current situation.

Government Preparedness and Supply Management Measures

• Despite the ongoing geopolitical situation, the Government has ensured that 100% supply is being made to Domestic LPG, Domestic PNG and CNG (Transport).
• For commercial LPG, priority has been given to hospitals, educational institutions. Besides this, priority has also been given to pharma, steel, automobile, seed, agriculture, etc. In addition to this, supply of 5 Kg FTL to migrant labour is also doubled based on avg. daily supply on 2nd and 3rd March 2026.
• The Government has already implemented several rationalisation measures on both the supply and demand side, including enhancing refinery production, increasing the booking interval from 21 to 25 days in urban areas and up to 45 days in rural areas and prioritising sectors for supply.
• Alternate fuels such as kerosene and coal have been made available to ease pressure on LPG demand.
• The Ministry of Coal has directed Coal India and Singareni Collieries to allot additional coal to States for distribution to small and medium consumers.
• States have been advised to facilitate new PNG connections for domestic and commercial consumers.

Coordinated Efforts with States/UTs and Institutional Mechanisms

• State Governments are empowered under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and LPG Control Order, 2000 to monitor supply and act against hoarding and black marketing.
• Govt. of States/UTs have to play a primary role in monitoring and regulating supply situation of essential commodities including Petrol, Diesel and LPG. Govt. of India has reiterated the same via multiple letters and VCs to all States/UTs.
• The Government of India vide letters dated 27.03.2026 and 02.04.2026 have stressed the need for proactive public communication to reassure citizens regarding adequate fuel availability. Regular review meetings are being held with States/UTs. In this context, meetings were convened on 02.04.2026 (Chaired by Secretary, MoPNG) and on 06.04.2026 (Chaired bySecretary, MoPNG along with Secretaries of I&B and Consumer Affairs), wherein the following was emphasized:
  • To issue daily press briefings and issue regular public advisories.
  • To actively monitor and counter fake news / misinformation on social media.
  • To intensify daily enforcement drives by District admin and to continue raids and inspections in coordination with OMCs
  • To issue Commercial LPG allocation orders within their States/UTs
  • To issue SKO allocation orders for additional SKO allotted to the States/UTs.
  • To promote PNG adoptions and alternate fuels.
  • To prioritize LPG supply, especially for domestic needs, and adopt targeted distribution of 5 kg FTL cylinders to ensure supply stability.
• All States/UTs have established control rooms and district monitoring committees to curb hoarding and black marketing.
• Many states/UTs are issuing/carrying out press briefs.

Enforcement and Monitoring Actions

• Enforcement actions continue across the country to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG. On 17.04.2026, more than 2500 raids were conducted, where more than 750 cylinders were seized across the country.
• PSU Oil Marketing Companies have strengthened surprise inspections and imposed penalties on 263 LPG distributorships and suspended 67 LPG distributorships till yesterday.

LPG Supply

Domestic LPG Supply Status:

• LPG supply continues to be affected by the prevailing geopolitical situation.
• Supply of LPG to domestic households has been prioritized.
• No dry-outs have been reported at LPG distributorships.
• Online LPG bookings have increased to about 98% across the industry yesterday.
• Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) based deliveries have increased to more than93% to prevent diversion. DAC is received on the registered mobile number of the consumer.
• Domestic LPG cylinder deliveries remain normal against bookings.
• On 17.04.26, more than 52 lakh domestic LPG cylinders were delivered.

Commercial LPG Supply and Allocation Measures:

• Total commercial LPG allocation has been increased to about 70% of pre-crisis levels, including 10% reform-linked allocation.
• The Government of India vide letter dated 06.04.2026 has conveyed that daily quantity of 5 Kg FTL cylinders in each State available for disbursal to migrant labourers is being doubled based on the average daily supply (Number of cylinders) to migrant labourers during 2nd-3rd March 2026 beyond the limit of 20% mentioned in letter dated 21.03.2026. These 5 Kg FTL cylinders will be at disposal of the State Government for supplying only to migrant labourers in their State with assistance of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
• Since 3rd April 2026, PSU OMCs have organized more than 6450 awareness camps for 5 Kg FTL Cylinders, wherein more than 90,000 – 5Kg FTL cylinders were also sold. Yesterday, 10,156 – 5 Kg FTLs were sold through around 300 camps.
• Recently, at one of the 5 kg FTL awareness camps organised by IOCL at Bhiwadi, Alwar on 17th April 2026, a good response was observed and more than 600 – 5 Kg FTL cylinders were sold in the camp.
• Since 23rd March 2026, more than 17.25 Lakh – 5 Kg FTL cylinders have been sold.
• A three-member committee of Executive Directors from IOCL, HPCL and BPCL is coordinating with State authorities and industry bodies to plan commercial LPG distribution in the States/UTs.
• On 17.04.2026, 8216 MT of Commercial LPG (Equivalent to more than 4.32 Lakh – 19 Kg cylinders) was sold.
• A total of 1,58,583 MT (Equivalent to more than 83.46 Lakh of 19 Kg LPG Cylinders) of Commercial LPG has been sold since 14th March 2026. This includes more than 9200 MT of Auto LPG.
• Avg. Auto LPG sale by PSU OMCs in the month of April-26 (till 17.04.26) is around 301 MT/day against the avg. of 177 MT/day during Feb-26.
• Auto LPG Sales was observed to have shifted from Private to PSU OMCs. To meet the rising demand, the sale of auto LPG by the PSU OMCs has increased by 70%. The major increase has been observed in the States like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, West Bengal etc.

Natural Gas Supply and PNG Expansion Initiatives

• Consumers have been prioritised with 100% supplies to D-PNG and CNG-Transport.
• The overall gas allocation to fertilizer plants has been enhanced to approximately 95% of their six-month average consumption.
• Additionally, gas supply to other industrial and commercial sectors, including supplies through CGD networks, is enhanced up to 80%.
• CGD entities have been advised to prioritize PNG connections for commercial establishments such as hotels, restaurants and canteens across all their GAs, to address concerns regarding the availability of commercial LPG.
• CGD companies including IGL, MGL, GAIL Gas and BPCL are offering incentives for domestic and commercial PNG connections.
• States/UTs and Central Ministries have been requested to expedite approvals required for expansion of CGD networks.
• The Government of India vide letter dated 18.03.2026 has offered all States/UTs additional 10% allocation of commercial LPG to States provided they can help in long term transition from LPG to PNG.
• 22 States/UTs are receiving additional commercial LPG allocation linked to PNG expansion reforms.
• The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways vide letter dated 24.03.26 has adopted an ‘Accelerated Approval Framework for CGD infrastructure with reduced timelines’ as a special for 3 months to process applications pertaining to CGD infrastructure on priority.
• The Government of India vide Gazette dated 24.03.2026 has notified the Natural Gas and Petroleum Products Distribution (Through Laying, Building, Operation and Expansion of Pipelines and Other Facilities) Order, 2026 under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. The Order provides a streamlined and time-bound framework for laying and expanding pipelines across the country, addressing delays in approvals and access to land, and enabling faster development of natural gas infrastructure, including in residential areas. It is expected to accelerate PNG network growth, enhance last-mile connectivity, and support the transition to cleaner fuels, thereby strengthening energy security and advancing India’s gas-based economy.
• PNGRB has directed CGD entities to expedite D-PNG connections. Also, the National PNG Drive 2.0 has been extended till 30.06.2026 to sustain momentum in PNG expansion.
• To encourage a cleaner, more secure and self-reliant energy future, the Government of India has developed a model draft State CBG Policy. The model policy is intended to serve as a comprehensive flexible guiding framework to enable States to create their own investor-friendly and implementation-oriented ecosystem for CBG development. Those States which opt for this, will be prioritized for the next tranche of additional allocation of commercial LPG.
• MoEFCC vide order dated 07.04.2026 has directed CPCB to issue necessary directions to SPCB/PCCs for granting consent to establish or consent to operate within 15 days for CGD network/infrastructure.
• As per the directions of CPCB, some of the Oil & gas transportation pipelines have been classified under “Green” Category.
• MoEFCC has already classified the “Fuel dispensing units without automobile servicing repairing and painting” as “White” category and are exempted from Consent to establish or consent to operate under relevant Acts.
• Since March 2026, more than 4.76 Lakh PNG connections have been gasified. Further, more than 5.33 Lakh customers have been registered for new connections.
• Till 17.04.2026, more than 37,500 PNG consumers have surrendered their LPG connections via MYPNGD.in website

Crude Position and Refinery Operations

• All refineries are operating at high capacity with adequate crude inventories, while sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel are being maintained.
• Domestic LPG production from refineries has been increased to support domestic consumption.
• An inter-ministerial Joint Working Group (JWG) has been set up to ensure availability of petrochemical feedstock supply for the domestic market. Subsequently, Govt. of India vide order dated 01.04.2026 has permitted Oil Refinery companies including Petrochemical Complexes to make certain minimum quantities of C3 & C4 streams available for critical sectors as determined by Centre for High Technology (CHT).
• Based on the requests received from the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Department of Chemicals & Petro Chemicals (DCPC), Dept. for Promotion of Industry and internal trade (DPIIT), the provision for 1000 MT/day, from LPG pool, has been made for Pharma and Chemical sector companies.
• Since 9^th April 2026, around 3200 MT of propylene has been sold.

Retail Fuel Availability and pricing Measures

• Retail outlets across the country are operating normally.
• The Middle East crisis has led to an abnormal increase in crude prices; however, to protect consumers, the Government of India has reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by ₹10 per litre.
• Govt. of India vide Gazette notification dated 11.04.2026 has increased the export levy on diesel to Rs. 55.50 per litre and on ATF to Rs. 42 per litre, to ensure availability of these products in the domestic market.
• Regular Retail Prices for Petrol and Diesel are unchanged and there is no price increase at PSU OMCs Retail Outlets.

Kerosene Availability and Distribution Measures

• An additional allocation of 48,000 KL of kerosene has been provided to States/UTs over and above regular allocation.
• 18 States/UTs have issued SKO allocation orders, while Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh have indicated no requirement.

Maritime Safety and Shipping Operations

Necessary measures have been put in place to safeguard Indian vessels and seafarers operating in the region, by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The Ministry stated that:

• The Ministry continues to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure seafare welfare and uninterrupted maritime operations.

• All Indian seafarers in the region are safe and no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours.
• The DG Shipping Control Room has handled 6,827  calls and more than 14,266  since activation. 100 calls and 279 emails have been received in the past 24 hours.
• DG Shipping has facilitated the safe repatriation of over 2,487 Indian seafarers so far, including 34 in the past 24 hours from various locations across the Gulf region.
• Port operations across India remain normal with no congestion reported.

Safety of Indian Nationals in the Region

The Ministry of External Affairs continues to monitor developments in the Gulf and West Asia region, with focussed efforts on ensuring safety, security and welfare of the Indian community in the region. It was informed that:

• Indian Missions and Posts continue to operate round-the-clock helplines and are proactively assisting Indian nationals. They remain in close contact with the local Governments.
• Updated advisories are being issued regularly, including information on local government guidelines, flight and travel situations and consular services and various welfare measures being undertaken to support our community.
• Indian Missions remain actively engaged with the Indian community including the various associations, organizations, professional groups, Indian companies and other stakeholders in the region.
• Our Missions are extending all assistance to the Indian crew members on vessels in the region including coordination with the local authorities and agencies, extending consular assistance and facilitating requests to return to India.
• Flights continue to operate from countries where airspace remains open. Since 28 February, around 10,68,000 passengers have travelled from the region to India.
• In the UAE, airlines continue to operate limited non-scheduled commercial flights between the UAE and India based on operational and safety considerations, with around 110 flights expected today between UAE and India.
• Flights continue to operate from various airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman to destinations in India.
• With Qatar airspace partially open, Qatar Airways is expected to operate around 10 to 11 flights to India today.
• Kuwait airspace remains closed. Jazeera Airways of Kuwait and Kuwait Airways are operating non-scheduled commercial flights from Dammam Airport in Saudi Arabia to India.
• Bahrain airspace is open. Gulf Air is planning limited flight operations from Bahrain to India and is currently operating non-scheduled flights from Dammam Airport in Saudi Arabia to various destinations in India.
• Iraq airspace is open with limited flight operations to destinations in the region for onward travel to India.
• The Embassy of India in Tehran has so far facilitated the movement of 2,373 Indian nationals from Iran to Armenia and Azerbaijan for onward travel to India, including 1,041 Indian students and 657 Indian fishermen.
• Israel airspace is partially open with restricted flight operations. Travel of Indian nationals continues to be facilitated through Jordan and Egypt to India.