Centre asks States to appoint district officers for faster piped gas adoption

The Petroleum Ministry has urged States and Union Territories to provide district-level administrative support to accelerate the shift of households from LPG to piped natural gas (PNG). In a letter to Chief Secretaries on August 21, Petroleum Secretary Neeraj Mittal sought the appointment of nodal officers to coordinate with gas distributors and oil marketing companies.

Mittal said PNG offers a safer, cleaner and more efficient cooking fuel, and plays a critical role in advancing India's energy transition. He added that its wider adoption would reduce the logistics burden of LPG distribution, improve consumer convenience, and ensure better utilisation of city gas distribution (CGD) infrastructure built with substantial public and private investment.

The Ministry's push comes as it moves to enforce a regulatory framework that prevents households from keeping both LPG and PNG connections in areas where piped gas is available. Under the new rules, households that fail to apply for a PNG connection despite due notice may face discontinuation of LPG supply.

The urgency for faster PNG adoption follows disruptions to India's LPG supply chains during the West Asia crisis earlier this year. India imports a large share of its cooking gas requirement, with much of it sourced from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait, and transported through the Strait of Hormuz. When the conflict disrupted shipping, the government prioritised domestic LPG supplies, while commercial and industrial consumers faced restrictions until supplies were restored.

Since then, India has diversified its LPG sourcing, including higher purchases from the United States and Algeria, to reduce dependence on Middle Eastern supplies. Piped natural gas, however, proved considerably more resilient during the crisis, particularly for household consumers. Domestic PNG received priority allocation of domestically produced natural gas, insulating it from most of the disruption that affected imported LPG and LNG cargoes.

The experience has strengthened the case for expanding city gas infrastructure and shifting households towards piped cooking fuel as part of a broader strategy to reduce India's reliance on imported LPG and make the energy system more resilient to geopolitical and shipping disruptions.

To promote faster PNG adoption, the government has notified the Natural Gas and Petroleum Products Distribution Orders of 2026 and LPG Control Orders under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. These orders prohibit households from retaining simultaneous LPG and PNG connections where PNG supply is available.

The Ministry has directed authorised city gas distribution entities and public-sector oil marketing companies to establish a PNG Coordination Committee (PCC) in every geographical area. These committees will identify eligible housing societies and households, issue statutory notices to resident welfare associations and individual consumers, and conduct outreach camps to accelerate PNG connections.

While the PCC mechanism is already operational, the Ministry's letter emphasised that district-level administrative support is crucial for the successful implementation of the transition. The appointment of nodal officers at the district level is expected to ease coordination between local bodies, gas utilities and oil marketing companies, ensuring a smoother shift for households.

The move is part of a larger effort to increase the share of natural gas in India's energy mix and reduce the country's exposure to volatile global energy markets.