New Delhi, March 16: India has 25,605 LPG distributorships as of March 1, 2026, including 17,677 in rural areas, supported by 214 LPG bottling plants operated by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), the government informed Parliament on Monday.
Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi said in the Rajya Sabha that 8,037 distributorships were commissioned between April 2016 and February 2026 to expand LPG access, with 93% of them serving rural and remote regions.
To improve transparency and consumer convenience, the government has rolled out nationwide IVRS and SMS-based refill booking systems, providing alerts at key stages such as booking, billing, and delivery. Oil companies have also introduced a Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) to ensure verified LPG cylinder deliveries.
The government has extended financial support to OMCs to maintain affordable LPG prices, providing ₹22,000 crore compensation in FY23 and approving an additional ₹30,000 crore for FY26.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, launched in May 2016 to provide deposit-free LPG connections to women from poor households, about 10.56 crore beneficiaries have been covered as of March 1, 2026.
Currently, a 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder is priced at ₹913 in Delhi, while eligible Ujjwala beneficiaries receive a ₹300 subsidy, reducing the effective price to ₹613 per cylinder.
The government said India remains self-sufficient in petrol and diesel production, with refineries operating at high capacity and maintaining adequate crude inventories to ensure uninterrupted supply.
