New Delhi, June 1 (H.S.): The Central Government on Monday stated that the country has sufficient reserves of petrol and diesel and has successfully maintained supplies of crude oil, natural gas, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) despite the ongoing crisis in West Asia.
Speaking at an inter-ministerial press briefing, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, asserted that adequate stocks of petrol and diesel are available across the country. However, she noted that reports have emerged from certain regions indicating unusually high sales of petrol and diesel.
She said that during the past three days, 10 First Information Reports (FIRs) related to LPG have been registered, while three individuals have been arrested. Sharma added that states and Union Territories have been requested to strengthen their monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
Oil and gas marketing companies have also conducted surprise inspections at 460 LPG distributorships, resulting in penalties being imposed on 42 LPG distributors.
Providing an update on the expansion of gas connectivity, Sharma said that since March, nearly 856,000 Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections have been activated, infrastructure has been developed for an additional 296,000 connections, and approximately 878,000 new customers have been registered.
Meanwhile, Aparna S. Sharma, Additional Secretary in the Department of Fertilisers under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, stated that fertiliser stocks for the upcoming Kharif season have been maintained at 51 percent, significantly higher than the normal level of 33 percent.
She said that this reflects the government's proactive efforts in stockpiling and efficient logistics management. Domestic fertiliser production has reached approximately 10.481 million metric tonnes (104.81 lakh MT), while around 2.762 million metric tonnes (27.62 lakh MT) of imported fertilisers have already arrived in the country.
The government maintained that the availability of both energy resources and fertilisers remains stable, ensuring uninterrupted supplies for consumers, farmers, and industries despite global uncertainties and geopolitical challenges.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
