New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The government on Monday informed that there are 25,605 LPG distributorships in India (as of March 1, 2026), including 17,677 in rural areas, serving by 214 LPG bottling plants of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). To improve LPG access in rural and remote areas, 8,037 distributorships were commissioned between April 2016 and February 2026, of which 7,444 (93 per cent) serve rural regions, said Suresh Gopi, Minister of State Petroleum and Natural Gas of India, replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

“To enhance transparency and consumer empowerment, IVRS/SMS refill booking has been implemented nationwide, providing SMS alerts at key stages such as booking, cash memo generation, and delivery. Additionally, OMCs have introduced the Delivery Authentication Code (DAC), sent via SMS and shared with delivery personnel to ensure verified delivery,” the minister added. For ensuring affordable LPG prices to consumers, the government has paid a compensation of Rs 22,000 crore to OMCs in FY 2022-23 and has approved another compensation of Rs 30,000 crore in FY 2025-26, said Gopi.

The minister further stated that the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched in May, 2016 with an objective to provide deposit free LPG connection to adult women from poor households across the country. “As on 01.03.2026, there were about 10.56 crore PMUY connections across the country,” he added.The retail selling price of a 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder is currently Rs 913 in Delhi. After a targeted subsidy of Rs 300/cylinder to PMUY consumers, the government is providing 14.2 kg LPG cylinders at an effective price of Rs 613 per cylinder (in Delhi) to all eligible PMUY beneficiaries.

India remains self-sufficient in the production of petrol and diesel and no imports of the fuels are required to meet domestic demand as all refineries across the country are operating at high capacity and maintaining adequate crude oil inventories, according to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.The government continues to prioritise the interests of domestic consumers and ensure uninterrupted LPG supply, particularly for households and priority sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions, the ministry said in a statement.

/IANS