Petroleum ministry plans Prajwala scheme for free PNG connections and subsidies, inspired by Ujjwala scheme. Prepaid meters and gas pipeline grid crucial. Penalties for distributors missing targets. LPG costs in Delhi compared.
"IPM will set up retail outlets or petrol pumps across the country to undertake fuel sales to the public. In the first phase, we will set up 100 outlets within five years," IPM Founder Gyan Prakash Sharma told PTI here.
Previous attempts of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) to declare city gas networks common carriers have been challenged in court. To help resolve the issue, the board issued a fresh draft regulation earlier this year - PNGRB (Guiding Principles for Declaring City or Local Natural Gas Distribution Networks as Common Carrier or Contract Carrier) Regulations, 2023 - and sought stakeholders views.
India s LPG import dependence jumped to 64% in 2022-23 from 49% six years earlier as cooking gas consumption expanded 32% while domestic production went up only 14%, according to the petroleum and natural gas ministry data.