New Delhi, August 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Centre has asked states and Union Territories to provide district-level administrative support to accelerate the transition of household kitchens from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to piped natural gas (PNG) in areas where piped gas is available.
Petroleum Secretary Neeraj Mittal, in a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all states, sought district-level intervention to implement a regulatory framework aimed at preventing households from retaining both LPG and PNG connections in notified areas.
The Petroleum Ministry said PNG is a safer, cleaner and more efficient cooking fuel and that its wider adoption would reduce the logistics burden associated with LPG distribution while improving utilisation of the city gas distribution (CGD) infrastructure.
The Centre has been encouraging the switch to PNG amid disruptions to LPG supplies during the Middle East crisis, particularly after the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of India’s LPG imports transited, was affected.
The government has also notified the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Amendment Order, 2026, providing additional flexibility to domestic LPG consumers shifting to PNG connections.
During the West Asia crisis, around 7.99 lakh PNG connections were gasified, while infrastructure was created for another 2.87 lakh connections, taking the total to 10.86 lakh connections.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has directed authorised CGD 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 to resident welfare associations (RWAs), housing societies and consumers, and organise outreach camps to facilitate PNG connections.
The ministry said the PCC mechanism was already operational but experience showed that district-level administrative support was essential for completing the transition within prescribed timelines.
District administrations will help secure right of way or right of use from RWAs and housing societies, facilitate coordination between LPG distributors and CGD entities, support consumer outreach and verification, and address grievances.
States have been asked to nominate a district-level nodal officer, not below the rank of district supply officer, to coordinate with the local PCC.
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