No Fuel Shortage in India; Govt Clarifies After PM Modi Urges Restraint on Petrol, Diesel Use

The government clarified today that there are no fuel shortages across the country currently, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the citizens on Sunday to practice restraint while using petrol and diesel.

Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary (Marketing & Oil Refinery) in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, stated that India's crude oil inventories remain stable, refineries are operating at optimum levels, and adequate stocks of petrol, diesel and LPG are available across the country with no reported dry-outs.

She also added that the government has taken several effective measures to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies for consumers while acknowledging disruptions in the global energy supply chain.

"Adequate stocks of petrol and diesel are available, and LPG supplies for domestic cooking purposes are being maintained," she noted.

Further detailing the supply position, Sharma said that over the past three days, 1.26 crore LPG cylinders had been delivered to households against 1.14 crore bookings.

"Similarly, sales of commercial LPG have exceeded 17,000 tonnes over the last three days. Sales of Auto LPG have also surpassed 762 tonnes," she added.

What PM Modi Appealed

Yesterday, PM Modi made seven appeals to the citizens from Hyderabad and one of them was to reduce the use of consumption of petrol and diesel. He also urged them to use public transportation whenever possible.

“We must prioritise work from home, online conferences, and virtual meetings again. We must also place a strong emphasis on saving foreign exchange, as petrol and diesel have become so expensive globally. It is our responsibility to save the foreign currency spent on purchasing petrol and diesel,” Modi stated.

He also urged citizens to prioritise work from home, cut fuel consumption, avoid foreign travel for a year, adopt Swadeshi products, reduce cooking oil use, shift to natural farming and curb gold purchases.

These appeals have triggered speculation of energy shortages due to West Asia conflict. IT employees' body, the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate, also urged the government to mandate work from home for the sector, citing fuel conservation and broader economic concerns arising from global geopolitical developments as its main concerns.