Centre pushes LPG users to switch to piped natural gas amid supply strain

Published 10 June 2026 · india

The Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas has asked states to accelerate the migration of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumers to piped natural gas

The Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas has asked states to accelerate the migration of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumers to piped natural gas (PNG), wherever infrastructure is available. Citing an under-recovery of ₹690 per domestic LPG cylinder, petroleum secretary Neeraj Mittal has urged states to direct district collectors and urban local bodies to nudge households to switch to PNG connections where these are in place. In a letter to chief secretaries of states and Union territories, Mittal said that despite notices issued to consumers with existing PNG connections to surrender their LPG cylinders, “field experience indicates that access constraints, consumer non-responsiveness and local issues have limited the effectiveness,” slowing the pace of PNG adoption. The ministry said active involvement of district and urban administration would improve ongoing efforts to expand the PNG network.

Also Read | LPG cylinder prices hiked by another ₹29 as West Asia war drives up import costs "I, therefore, request that instructions may be issued to District Collectors/District Magistrates/Commissioner/Special Officers of Urban Bodies to collaborate with respective State Level Coordinators /CGD entities to nudge and urge LPG consumers to fully migrate/PNG, wherever available," the secretary said in the letter to states. On 25 May, the government barred households with PNG connections from refilling LPG cylinders with immediate effect, as India looks to conserve cooking gas supplies amid disruptions linked to the West Asia conflict. A gazette notification by the petroleum ministry said consumers shifting to PNG must surrender their LPG connections or obtain a transfer voucher within 30 days to enable future access in non-PNG locations. Earlier, in March, the government had asked PNG consumers to surrender LPG connections within three months.

Also Read | BPCL taps US LPG spot market for first time amid Gulf supply disruption Queries sent to the petroleum ministry on Wednesday evening were not immediately answered. Under strain LPG supplies remain under pressure amid continued disruption in energy flows from West Asia. On Sunday, oil marketing companies (OMCs) raised domestic LPG prices by ₹29 per cylinder, the second hike since the start of the West Asia conflict on 28 February. The government has said the daily under-recovery on petroleum products, including domestic LPG, is around ₹600-700 crore. Under-recovery refers to the notional loss incurred by oil marketing companies when they sell fuel in the domestic market below international prices. At the same time, amid elevated global LPG prices and supply constraints, the government has reduced the number of cylinders provided to households under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to four from nine earlier.