Updates on Key Sectors in View of Developments in West Asia

RSD- Bharat news: In view of the evolving situation in West Asia, the Government of India continues to take necessary preparedness and response measures to ensure stability across key sectors. The following is an update on the steps being taken in the areas of energy supply, maritime operations, and assistance to Indian nationals in the region.

Energy Supply and Fuel Availability

Amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, steps have been taken to ensure uninterrupted availability of petroleum products and LPG across the country. The current position is as follows:

Crude/Refineries

· All refineries are operating at high capacity, with adequate crude inventories in place. The country is also maintaining sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel.

· Domestic LPG Production from refineries has been increased to support domestic consumption.

Retail Outlets

· All Retail outlets are operating normally across the country.

· Govt. of India has reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs. 10/litre.

· Further, Govt. of India has imposed export levy of Rs 21.5 per litre on diesel and Rs 29.5 per litre on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) to ensure availability of these products in the domestic market.

· Panic Buying reported in some areas. There were certain rumours which led to panic buying at some Retail outlets in few States, resulting in unusually high sales and heavy crowding at Retail outlets. However, it is informed that there are adequate stocks of petrol and diesel available at all Petrol Pumps in the country.

· The Government reiterates its advice to the public not to believe rumours.

Natural Gas

· Consumers have been prioritised with 100% supplies to D-PNG and CNG-Transport.

· Supplies to industrial & commercial consumers connected on grid is at 80% of their average consumption.

· CGD entities have also been advised by Govt. of India to prioritize PNG connections for commercial establishments such as restaurants, hotels and canteens across all their Geographical Areas (GAs), to address concerns regarding the availability of commercial LPG.

· CGD Companies like IGL, MGL, GAIL Gas and BPCL have offered incentives for taking domestic and Commercial PNG connections.

· Govt. of India has requested Govt. of States/UTs and Central Ministries to expedite approval of applications required for expansion of CGD network.

· Govt. 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. Subsequently, MoPNG has received applications from multiple States who have taken steps towards reforms for promoting CGD network. Accordingly, additional allocation for some of the States has been recommended.

· Some States have come up with policies for faster Right of User/Right of Way (RoU/RoW) permission, longer working hours and also rationalization of RoU/RoW charges.

· PNGRB vide its order dated 23.03.2026 has directed all CGD entities to make all out efforts to connect residential schools & colleges, hostels, community kitchens, anganwadi kitchens etc. through PNG within 5 days, wherever pipeline infrastructure is available in near vicinity.

· Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways vide letter dated 24.03.2026 has stated that they have adopted “Accelerated Approval Framework for CGD Infrastructure with reduced timelines” as a special measure for 3 months wherein applications pertaining to CGD infrastructure shall be processed on priority.

· Govt. 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.

· Ministry of Defence vide letter 27.03.2026 has issued a short-term policy modification, effective until June 30, 2026, to expedite the installation of PNG infrastructure in all residential areas/unit lines of defence.

• Requisite approval for carrying out necessary work within 24 hours.
• Permission to use defence land for laying underground pipeline and valve chamber at an annual license fee @ Re. 1 per running meter for the first spell of 10 years of license period.
• No road restoration charges. CGD entities to restore public assets at its own cost as per standards.

· CGD entities have reported 11,463 PNG connections (new connections and old gas-in) in 110 focused Geographical Areas yesterday.

LPG

· Supply of LPG is affected due to prevailing geopolitical situation.

Domestic LPG Supply:

· No reported dry-out at LPG distributorships.

· Online LPG cylinder bookings have increased to 91% on industry basis yesterday.

· To prevent diversion at the distributor level, Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) based deliveries have been increased from 53% (Feb-2026) to 84% yesterday.

· On 27.03.2026, more than 54 Lakh LPG refills were delivered.

· Delivery of Domestic LPG Cylinders is normal.

Commercial LPG supply:

· Govt. had already restored Partial Commercial LPG supply (20%) to consumers. Further, Govt. of India vide letter dated 18.03.2026 had proposed to allocate additional 10% of Commercial LPG to States/UTs based on ease of doing business reforms for PNG expansion.

· Govt. of India vide letter dated 21.03.2026 has allowed another 20% allocation of commercial LPG to States, which would take overall allocation to 50% (incl. 10% allocation based on ease of doing reforms for PNG expansion). This additional 20% allocation shall be given on priority to sectors like restaurants, dhabas, hotels, industrial canteens, food processing/dairy, subsidised canteens/outlets run by State Govt. or local bodies for food, community kitchens, 5 Kg FTL for migrant labourers.

· Govt. of India vide letter dated 27.03.2026 has decided to allocate an additional 20% for commercial LPG (this would bring the total commercial allocation to 70% of the pre-crises level incl. 10% reform based). This additional 20% allocation would be given to industries with priority to steel, automobile, textile, dye, chemicals and plastics. Among this, priority shall be given to process industries or those requiring LPG for specialised heating purposes that cannot be substituted by natural gas.

· On 27.03.2026, more than 46,000 – 5 Kg FTL Cylinders have been sold.

· 28 States/UTs have issued orders to allocate the Non-domestic LPG in line with the guidelines issued by the Govt. of India. For rest of the States/UTs, PSU Oil Marketing companies are releasing Commercial LPG cylinders. A total of 33781 MT has been uplifted since 14^th March 2026 by commercial entities in the States/UTs.

Kerosene

· Additional allocation of 48000 KL of Kerosene over and above the regular allocation has been made to all the States/UTs.

· States/UTs have been requested to identify locations in districts for distribution of kerosene.

· 17 States/UTs have issued SKO allocation orders. Further, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh has communicated that there is no SKO requirement in the State/UT.

Role of State/UTs

· Under Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and LPG Control Order, 2000, State Govt. are empowered to act against any 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.

· All Chief Secretaries, ACS/Principal Secretary/Secretary Food & Civil supply of all the States/UTs are requested –

• To institutionalize daily press briefings at State/District level and issue regular public advisories.
• To setup dedicated control rooms/helplines
• 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 fast track CGD expansion incl. expediting RoW/RoU permissions, 24×7 work permissions etc.
• To promote PNG adoptions and alternate fuels.
• To nominate senior nodal officers for coordination with MoPNG.

· Govt. of India vide letter dated 27.03.2026 has again requested Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs to conduct daily press briefs and active social media/electronics media updates to disseminate correct information and eliminate rumour mongering. Currently, 14 States/UTs are carrying out daily press briefs.

Enforcement action

· Raids continue to be carried out in many of the States/UTs to check the hoardings and black marketing of LPG. About 2900 raids have been conducted, and more than 1700 cylinders have been seized yesterday.

· PSU OMCs officials have conducted surprise inspections at more than 1600 RO and LPG distributorships yesterday across the country to ensure smooth supplies and to check any hoardings/black marketing cases.

· PSU OMCs have issued more than 390 show cause notices to LPG distributorships till date.

Other Government Measures

· Despite this war situation, Government has given highest priority to Domestic LPG and PNG, along with high priority to hospitals and educational institutions.

· 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 fuel options like Kerosene and coal have been offered to ease pressure on LPG demand.

· Ministry of Coal has already issued order to Coal India and Singareni Coallieries to allot higher quantities to States for distributing coal to small, medium and other consumers.

· States have been advised to facilitate the new PNG connections for both domestic and commercial consumers.

Public Advisory

· Govt. is making all efforts to ensure availability of Petrol, Diesel and LPG. Avoid Panic purchase of Petrol, diesel and booking of LPG.

· Beware of rumours and rely on official sources for correct information.

· For LPG, citizens are requested to–

• Use Digital Mode for bookings
• Avoid visiting LPG distributors

· Citizens are requested to use alternate fuels like PNG, induction/electric cooktops etc.

· In the current situation, all citizens are requested to make necessary efforts to conserve energy in their daily usage.

Maritime Safety and Shipping Operations

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has put in place necessary measures to safeguard Indian vessels and seafarers operating in the region. As per Ministry:

· The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways continues to monitor shipping movements, port operations and safety of Indian seafarers, while ensuring continuity of maritime trade.

· All Indian seafarers in the region are safe; no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels reported in the past 24 hours.

· 20 Indian-flagged vessels with 540 Indian seafarers remain in the western Persian Gulf region; being actively monitored by the Directorate General of Shipping in coordination with ship owners, RPSL agencies and Indian Missions.

· DG Shipping Control Room operational 24×7; handled 4,431 calls and 8,865 emails since activation; 105 calls and 309 emails in the past 24 hours.

· DG Shipping has facilitated safe repatriation of over 938 Indian seafarers so far, including 25 in the last 24 hours.

· Port operations across India remain normal with no congestion; additional cargo space allocated; State Maritime Boards of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry have confirmed smooth functioning.

· Coordination continues with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure seafarer welfare and uninterrupted operations.

Safety of Indian Nationals in the Region

Indian Missions and Posts remain in touch with the Indian community and continue to extend assistance, along with issuing necessary advisories for their safety and well-being. As informed by Ministry:

• The Ministry of External Affairs continues to closely monitor developments in the Gulf and West Asia; safety, security and welfare of the Indian community remains the highest priority; dedicated special control room operational; regular coordination with States/UTs for information sharing and response.

• Missions and Posts across the region are functioning round-the-clock with 24×7 helplines; regular advisories being issued; continuous engagement with Indian community groups and local governments; assistance being extended to seafarers, students, stranded nationals and short-term visitors for visas, consular services and logistics.

• Since 28 February, around 4,97,000 passengers have returned to India from the region

• UAE: Around 85 non-scheduled flights expected to operate today from various airports to India
  • Saudi Arabia and Oman: Flights continue to operate to India
  • Qatar: With partial reopening of airspace, around 8–10 non-scheduled flights expected today
  • Kuwait and Bahrain: Airspace remains closed; special non-scheduled commercial flights of Jazeera Airways of Kuwait and Gulf Air of Bahrain are operating from Dammam airport  of Saudi Arabia to India
  • Iran: Travel of Indian nationals being facilitated via Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • Israel: Travel being facilitated via Jordan
  • Iraq: Travel being facilitated via Jordan and Saudi Arabia

• Five Indian nationals injured in Abu Dhabi due to falling debris from interception; Mission extending assistance and coordinating medical care; all reported to be out of danger.