Centre Seeks State Support for LPG to PNG Switch Amid Energy Transition Efforts

The Indian government has asked state and union territories to provide district-level administrative support to accelerate the shift from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to piped natural gas (PNG) in household kitchens. The Centre's goal is to make PNG a safer, cleaner, and more efficient cooking fuel that can reduce logistics burden on oil companies.

Petroleum Secretary Neeraj Mittal has written a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all states seeking district-level intervention to implement a regulatory framework aimed at preventing households from retaining both LPG and PNG connections in areas where piped gas is available.

The government has already been encouraging consumers to switch to PNG after the Strait of Hormuz was choked, causing major disruptions to the LPG supply chain. During this time, around 7.99 lakh PNG connections were gasified, while infrastructure was created for an additional 2.87 lakh connections.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has directed authorised city gas distribution entities and public-sector oil marketing companies to establish a PNG Coordination Committee (PCC) in every geographical area. The committees will identify eligible housing societies and households, issue statutory notices, and conduct outreach camps to accelerate PNG connections.