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Informist, Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

 

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--Govt: Conducted 4,500 raids to curb blackmarketing of LPG cylinders
--CONTEXT: Govt briefing media on West Asia conflict
--Govt: Conducted 1,800 surprise inspections at LPG dealerships 
--Govt: One Indian national died in Riyadh Wed 
--Govt: No cut in domestic supply of LPG cylinders 
--Govt: Premium petrol comprises only 2-4% of total petrol sales 
--Govt: Hike in premium petrol prices unlikely to impact most consumers

 

NEW DELHI – The increase in price of premium petrol is unlikely to affect most consumers as it accounts for only 2-4% of total petrol sales in the country, the government said Friday. Oil-marketing companies have raised the price of premium petrol by INR 2.0-INR 2.3 per litre, effective immediately.

 

"There is no hike in normal petrol prices," Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said at a media briefing on the West Asia situation. "There is a little increase in the prices of premium petrol, but that is not going to affect most consumers."

 

Sharma reiterated that there is no cut in the supply of liquified petroleum gas cylinders to domestic consumers, though supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been slashed. However, 11,000 tonnes of LPG was supplied to commercial users, she said. 

 

Giving details, Sharma said that around 7,500 consumers have shifted to piped natural gas from LPG since the supply crisis began. "Panic booking has come down significantly. We received 5.5 million refill requests Thursday," she said, adding that over 93% of these requests came online and the cylinders were delivered on verification of the delivery authentication code.

 

"All oil refineries have contributed in ramping up LPG supply, but we are still dependent on imports," the joint secretary said. "As much as 47% of our total LPG imports were coming from Qatar alone. With Qatar's production capacity down, India is likely to face the impact."

 

She said more than 4,500 raids were conducted Thursday across the country against black-marketers and hoarders. Besides, oil marketing companies' teams separately conducted surprise inspections at 1,800 LPG distributorships.

 

Asked if India may consider buying energy from Iran if the US "unsanctions" Iranian oil at sea, Sharma said it was for the government to decide. India has not imported oil from Iran since May 2019 because of US sanctions. She repeated that India is trying to buy gas cargo from "wherever possible" at this time, while also trying to diversify its sourcing of LPG.

 

Aseem Mahajan, additional secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, announced that one Indian national has died in an attack on Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia. "Late Thursday night, we received the information about the demise of an Indian national during an attack in Riyadh on Mar. 18," Mahajan said.

 

"Our mission in Riyadh is coordinating with authorities in Riyadh for the early return of his mortal remains," he added. Mahajan said six Indian nationals have lost their lives and one is missing in various incidents across Persian Gulf countries since the military conflict broke out in the region.  End

 

Reported by Asim Khan

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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