New Delhi, Mar 12 (UNI) union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said there is no shortage of petrol, diesel, and kerosene in the country, and assured that retail outlets across the country are stocked and supply chains for these products are functioning normally.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha on concerns over the energy crisis, Puri said the refineries are operating at high capacity utilisation, adding that in several cases, they are exceeding 100 per cent.
“There is no shortage of petrol, diesel, kerosene, ATF, or fuel oil. The availability of petrol, diesel, aviation, turbine fuel, kerosene and fuel oil is fully assured,” he said.
He informed the House that non-Hormuz sourcing has risen to approximately 70 per cent of crude imports, up from 55 per cent before the conflict began.
”India’s sources grew to 40 countries as against 27 in 2006 and 2007. This structural diversification built through sustained policy over successive years has given us options that other nations find themselves without. The refineries are operating at high capacity utilisation,” he added.
He said it should be noted that India was previously importing approximately 60 per cent of its LPG requirements from Gulf countries, including Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, while 40 per cent is produced domestically. Procurement has now been actively diversified, with cargoes being secured from the United States, Norway, Canada, Algeria, and Russia, he stated.
The Minister said, ”The world has not faced a moment like this in modern energy history. India’s crude supply position is secure, and the volume secured exceeds what the Hormuz would have delivered. Before the crisis, approximately 45 per cent of India’s crude imports transited through the Strait of Hormuz route. Thanks to the Prime Minister’s outstanding diplomatic outreach and goodwill, India has secured crude volumes that exceed what the disrupted state of Hormuz could have delivered in the same period.”
He reiterated that the domestic supply is fully protected, and the delivery cycle remains unchanged. The standard time from booking to delivery for domestic LPG cylinders remains 2.5 days, unchanged from the pre-crisis norm. Hospitals and educational institutions have been placed on uninterrupted priority supply, and their access to LPG is fully assured regardless of broader demand conditions.
