New Delhi, May 27: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday urged citizens to avoid panic buying of petrol, diesel and LPG, asserting that the supply of essential commodities across the country remains normal despite concerns arising from the West Asia conflict.
The remarks followed the sixth meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM), which reviewed the availability of essential goods and the resilience of supply chains amid the evolving geopolitical situation.
Singh said the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has taken proactive measures to ensure uninterrupted supplies and maintain market stability during the crisis.
In a parallel move, the government has notified the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Amendment Order, 2026, offering greater flexibility to domestic consumers shifting to piped natural gas (PNG).
Under the revised rules, consumers obtaining PNG connections can terminate LPG connections within 30 days and receive transfer vouchers, enabling future restoration of LPG services in areas without PNG infrastructure.
The government said 7.99 lakh PNG connections have been activated, with infrastructure ready for an additional 2.87 lakh connections, taking the total to 10.86 lakh since March.
To ensure adequate fuel availability, public sector oil companies delivered nearly 1.72 crore LPG cylinders against bookings of 1.66 crore cylinders over the last four days. They also organised 15,400 awareness camps for 5-kg LPG cylinders, selling over 2.45 lakh units since April.
The government advised LPG consumers to use digital booking platforms, avoid unnecessary distributor visits and adopt alternative cooking fuels such as PNG and electric or induction cooktops, while encouraging broader energy conservation measures.
