Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 29: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said India successfully protected domestic consumers during what he termed one of the most severe global energy disruptions in recent history by rerouting LPG shipments, increasing refinery output and securing supplies from new international partners.
Speaking about the prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, Puri said the government implemented a series of emergency measures to ensure uninterrupted availability of cooking gas and fuels across the country. He noted that despite major disruptions in global energy supply chains, Indian consumers were largely insulated from shortages and sharp price shocks.
In a post on social media platform X, the minister said more than 12 Indian LPG vessels were moved out of the Hormuz region without paying transit tolls, helping maintain the flow of essential fuel supplies during the crisis.
Puri said the government responded by diversifying crude oil imports, strengthening energy infrastructure and arranging alternative LPG supplies from multiple countries. These steps, he added, helped maintain stability in the domestic fuel market even as international energy markets faced significant turbulence.
To ease the burden on consumers, the Centre also reduced excise duty on fuels by Rs 10 per litre during the crisis period.
He said the supply of cooking gas to households remained a top priority and the government introduced mandatory digital authentication mechanisms to curb diversion and black-market sales of LPG cylinders.
According to the minister, several refineries that had not previously produced cooking gas were quickly modified to increase LPG output. As a result, daily production rose from about 35 thousand metric tonnes to nearly 54 thousand metric tonnes within a short period.
Puri further said India established new LPG procurement arrangements with countries including Algeria, Japan and Canada, while additional cargoes were sourced from the United States to meet rising domestic demand.
The minister credited the coordinated response of the government and energy sector agencies for ensuring that households and industries continued to receive essential fuel supplies despite the global disruption.