The Petroleum Ministry has asked States and Union Territories to provide district-level administrative support to accelerate the shift of households from LPG to piped natural gas (PNG). Petroleum Secretary Neeraj Mittal has sought the appointment of nodal officers to coordinate with gas distributors and oil marketing companies. In a letter to State Chief Secretaries, Mittal emphasized the importance of PNG in advancing India’s energy transition while reducing the logistics burden associated with LPG distribution and improving consumer convenience.
PNG is considered a safer, cleaner, and more efficient cooking fuel. Its accelerated adoption contributes to reducing the logistics burden associated with LPG distribution, enhancing consumer convenience, and improving utilization of city gas distribution (CGD) infrastructure created through substantial public and private investment. The Ministry is seeking district-level intervention as it moves to implement a regulatory framework aimed at preventing households from retaining both LPG and PNG connections in areas where piped gas is available.
The push for faster adoption of PNG follows the disruption to India’s LPG supply chains during the West Asia crisis earlier this year. LPG was among the fuels most exposed to the conflict because India imports a large share of its cooking-gas requirement. Piped natural gas, by contrast, proved considerably more resilient during the crisis, particularly for domestic household consumers. Domestic PNG supplies received priority allocation of domestically produced natural gas, insulating the segment from much of the disruption that affected imported LPG and LNG cargoes.
To promote faster PNG adoption, the government has notified the Natural Gas and Petroleum Products Distribution Orders of 2026 and LPG Control Orders under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. The orders prohibit households from retaining simultaneous LPG and PNG connections and provide for discontinuation of LPG supply to households that fail to apply for a PNG connection despite due notice, wherever PNG supply is available. The Ministry has directed authorized city gas distribution entities and public-sector oil marketing companies to establish a PNG Coordination Committee in every geographical area.
The committees will identify eligible housing societies and households, issue statutory notices to housing societies, resident welfare associations, and individual consumers, and conduct outreach camps to accelerate PNG connections. The Ministry has asked Chief Secretaries to direct their respective food and civil supplies departments to nominate one nodal officer at the district level to be formally associated with the local PNG Coordination Committee. States and Union Territories have also been asked to provide the names, designations, and contact details of the nominated officers at the earliest so that committee members can coordinate with them and expedite PNG expansion.
