Due to America-Israel’s war with Iran, there is a shortage of LPG across the country. There are long lines outside gas agencies. Black marketing and hoarding of gas cylinders is also taking place, to stop which the government has again changed the booking rules. Now after purchasing the cylinder in rural areas, the next cylinder can be booked after 45 days. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told in Parliament that this decision has been taken to manage the supply in a better way and to stop unnecessary ‘panic booking’. LPG cylinder booking rules changed thrice in 6 days. People are booking in 15 days instead of 55 days. On an average a family in villages uses only about 5 cylinders in a year. In such a situation, there was no need for early re-booking. Recently it was seen that due to rumors, people were hurriedly booking and stocking cylinders even when they were not needed. It was told by the ministry that people who earlier used to book cylinders on an average of 55 days, suddenly started booking at an interval of 15 days. Due to such advance and hasty booking, the pressure on the system was increasing. Now read the reports of different states… Madhya Pradesh: Online booking of LPG has come to a standstill…waiting increased by 7-8 days. Online booking of LPG cylinders has come to a standstill in Madhya Pradesh. Due to server being down, people are not able to book cylinders in the entire state including Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Ujjain, Jabalpur. The waiting period has reached 7 to 8 days. There is crowd of people in gas agencies from morning till evening. Here, amid the shortage of gas, induction prices have doubled. Its sales have increased up to 7 times in Bhopal. At the same time, 50 thousand hotels and restaurants are on the verge of running out of gas. Hotels and restaurants have not received commercial cylinders for the last 4 days. According to Bhopal Hotel Association President Tejkul Pal Singh Pali, about 2 thousand hotels and restaurants of Bhopal did not receive a single cylinder in 4 days. Read full news… Rajasthan: Employees are being sent home after closing restaurants. Businesses are coming to a standstill due to depletion of gas stock in hotels and restaurants. Restaurants in Chittorgarh have been closed and employees have been sent home. Restaurants have started closing in Sawai Madhopur also. There are preparations to close 150 resorts in Jaisalmer. In Jaipur, tea stalls, sweet shops and dhabas have started using domestic cylinders instead of commercial ones. Due to shortage of gas cylinders in Kota, the demand for wood and coal furnace has increased. Kilns weighing 35 to 40 kg are being made for mess and hostels. Read full news… Uttar Pradesh: Cylinder is available immediately after paying Rs 1600 in black. In Lucknow, people are not able to get the cylinder even after standing in the queue all day long. People claim that despite all this, a cylinder worth Rs 950 is available immediately after paying Rs 1600. Commercial cylinder is also easily available for Rs 3500. Read the full news… Food delivery orders have reduced by 50 to 60%. Gig and Platform Service Workers Union said that due to the shortage of LPG, food delivery orders on platforms like Zomato and Swiggy have reduced by 50 to 60%. This has created a crisis in the earnings of delivery partners and other workers associated with this sector. The union has written a letter to the Union Labor Minister demanding immediate intervention. The union demands that Zomato, Swiggy and other platforms should immediately give a relief amount of Rs 10,000 to every worker affected. There should be a ban of 3 months on closing the ID of workers. Government presents account of preparations Government is distributing 50 lakh cylinders daily Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said, “We import about 60% of our LPG requirement from outside and about 90% of it comes from the Strait of Hormuz. The situation is a bit difficult, but the government is making every possible effort to ensure supply to domestic consumers.” He said, “We deliver around 50 lakh cylinders every day. At present there is no news of shortage anywhere at the distribution level. But due to panic, bookings have increased manifold. State governments have been asked to prepare a list of beneficiaries so that the cylinders can be delivered on priority basis.” The government has taken 5 important steps so far 1. Formed a high-level committee: In view of the crisis, the Petroleum Ministry has formed a high-level committee of executive directors of three oil companies, which will review the supply. 2. Essential Commodity Act implemented: To control the supply of gas, the Central Government has implemented ‘Essential Commodity Act 1955’ across the country. 3. LPG booking will be done after 25 days: The rules for booking domestic cylinders have been changed. Consumers will be able to book the second cylinder only after 25 days after one cylinder is delivered. 4. OTP and biometric verification mandatory: To prevent gas hoarding, delivery agents are strictly using OTP or biometric verification. 5. Order to increase LPG production: The government had ordered all oil refineries to increase LPG production. Now production has increased by 28%. 2 reasons for supply crisis 1. Almost closure of the Strait of Hormuz The biggest challenge for India is the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This is about 167 km long waterway, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea. Due to Iran war this route is no longer safe. In view of the danger, no oil tanker is passing through there. 20% of the world’s total petroleum passes through here. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait also depend on it for their exports. India sources 50% of its crude oil and 54% of its LNG requirement through this route. Iran itself exports through this route. 2. Production of LNG stopped due to drone attack on the plant. Last week America-Israel had strike on Iran. In response, Iran has targeted American bases in countries like UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi. After Iran’s drone attack, Qatar, the largest country supplying gas to India, has stopped the production of its LNG plant. Due to this the supply of gas in India has reduced. India imports 40% of its LNG requirement (about 27 million tonnes annually) from Qatar. Government increased the price of domestic gas cylinder by ₹ 60 ————————- Read this news also… Shortage of LPG in the country, demand for induction increased: Sales of products in Amazon up to 30 times, out of stock on many e-commerce websites Amidst the growing concern about the availability of LPG in the country, the demand for induction has suddenly increased on the online shopping platform. This product is out of stock on many e-commerce sites. There is a significant reduction in induction stock on platforms like Amazon, Flipkart and Blinkit. Almost all the models are seen out of stock on Blinkit, while only a few brands are available on Amazon and Flipkart. Due to increasing tension in the Middle East and impact on gas supply, people in many cities are troubled by non-availability of LPG cylinders. For this reason, we are buying induction cooktop as a backup. Read the full news…
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Second domestic LPG cylinder will be available in villages after 45 days: Government extended time by 20 days to stop hoarding; Online booking stalled in MP
