The Petroleum Ministry has assured that India's petroleum and LPG supply is secure and under control. It stated there is no shortage of fuel or gas anywhere in the country and urged citizens to ignore a misinformation campaign spreading panic.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has said that India's petroleum and LPG supply situation is fully secure and under control. All retail fuel outlets have enough supplies and there is no shortage of petrol, diesel, or LPG anywhere in the country, the Ministry said in a release.
The Ministry called upon citizens not to be misled by a deliberately mischievous, coordinated campaign of misinformation that is being carried out to spread unjustified panic. It said because India is a net exporter to the world, domestic petrol and diesel availability is structurally assured.
No Rationing or Restrictions in India
"All 1 lakh-plus retail fuel outlets across the country are open and dispensing fuel without interruption. Not a single outlet has been asked to ration supply. Across the world, countries are dealing with price increases, rationing, odd-even vehicle restrictions, and forced station closures. Few have declared "National Energy Emergency". India does not feel for any such measures," the release said.
Measures to Counter Panic Buying
"While other nations are rationing, there is no shortage of supplies in India. Where isolated instances of panic buying occurred at select pumps, they were driven by deliberate misinformation spread by certain videos in social media. Despite the surge in demand on such pumps, fuel was dispensed to all the consumers and Oil company depots have been operational through the night to ramp up supplies. Steps have also been taken by Oil Companies to increase credit to petrol pumps to over 3 days from earlier allowed 1 day in order to ensure that there is no shortage of petrol and diesel at any pump due to working capital issues of pump owners," the release added.
Crude Oil Supply and Refinery Operations
The release said that despite the situation at the Strait of Hormuz, India is today receiving more crude oil from its 41-plus suppliers across the world than what was previously arriving through the Straits. High volumes available in international markets -- especially from the western hemisphere -- have more than compensated for any disruption. Every Indian refinery is running at over 100% utilisation.
"Crude oil supplies for next 60 days have already been tied up by Indian Oil companies. There is no supply gap," the release said.
LPG Supply Situation Secure
It said there is no LPG shortage. "Following the LPG Control Order issued by this Ministry, domestic refinery production has been ramped up by 40%, bringing daily LPG output to 50 TMT (more than 60% of our requirement) against a total daily requirement of around 80 TMT. The net daily import requirement has consequently come down to only 30 TMT -- meaning India is now producing much more than it needs to import," the release said.
Cylinder Demand and Distribution
"Over and above domestic production, 800 TMT of assured inbound LPG cargoes are already secured and en route from the United States, Russia, Australia, and other countries, arriving across India's 22 LPG import terminals -- double the 11 terminals that existed in 2014. Approximately one full month of supply is firmly arranged, with additional procurement being finalised continuously...."
"Oil companies are successfully delivering over 50 lakh cylinders every day. Cylinder demand had gone up to 89 lakh cylinders due to panic ordering by consumers and has now come down to 50 lakh cylinders again. Commercial cylinder allocations have been raised to 50% in consultation with state governments to avoid hoarding or black marketing," it added.
Promotion of Piped Natural Gas (PNG)
The release said that Piped Natural Gas is being promoted in full coordination with state governments -- because it is cheaper, cleaner, and safer for Indian households.
Ministry Warns Against Misinformation Campaign
The Ministry said it has noted with serious concern the circulation of misleading videos and posts on social media platforms that selectively use images of queues, global news footage of rationing in other countries, and "completely bogus and fabricated claims of impending lockdowns and emergency fuel measures in India to create a wholly false impression of shortage".
Misleading Videos and Misrepresented Orders
"Some posts have deliberately misrepresented government orders -- including the Natural Gas Control Order and the LPG Control Order -- as emergency declarations signalling crisis, when in fact they are standard administrative instruments for supply prioritisation issued as a prudent and pre-emptive measure," the release said.
"This misinformation is being spread by miscreants and amplified by motivated elements, causing unnecessary public anxiety," it added.
The Ministry urged all citizens to rely only on official government communications for information regarding fuel and gas availability.
"Spreading false information regarding essential commodity availability is an offence under applicable laws, and the government will not hesitate to act against those found to be deliberately creating panic," the release said. (ANI)
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