Fuel Supplies Fully Secure For Next 60 Days, Says Govt; Warns Of ‘Mischievous’ Misinformation Campaign To Create Panic
· Free Press Journal
New Delhi: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Thursday said crude oil supplies for the next 60 days have already been tied up, asserting that India’s petroleum and LPG supply situation is “fully secure and under control”. It said retail fuel outlets have enough supplies and urged consumers not to be misled by what it described as “a deliberately mischievous, coordinated campaign of misinformation which is being carried out to spread unjustified panic”.
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India’s Refining Strength Ensures Fuel Availability
Giving details on petrol and diesel availability, the ministry said India is the world’s fourth largest refiner and fifth largest exporter of petroleum products, and therefore, domestic availability of petrol and diesel is “structurally assured”.
Asserting that “not a single outlet has been asked to ration supply”, the Centre also said oil company depots are working through the night to ramp up supplies.
It added that credit to petrol pumps has been increased to over three days from one day earlier to ensure there is no shortage at any pump due to working capital constraints.
Strategic Reserves Bolster Energy Security
The ministry said the blockade at the Strait of Hormuz has had a limited impact on crude supply, as India is currently receiving more crude oil from its 41-plus suppliers than it was getting through the strait earlier. As for strategic reserves, the ministry said, “India has 74 days of total reserve capacity and actual stock cover is around 60 days right now, even as the Middle East crisis is in its 27th day.”
The government also insisted that “there is no LPG shortage”. It said a 40% increase in domestic refinery production has brought daily LPG output to 50 TMT, which is more than 60% of the total daily requirement of around 80 TMT.
'India-US Ties Will Grow Even Stronger': US Embassy in India Shares Donald Trump’s Praise For PM ModiLPG Output Surges, Imports Secured
With the net daily import requirement now down to 30 TMT, the ministry said 800 TMT of assured inbound LPG cargoes are already secured and en route from the United States, Russia, Australia and other countries. Due to the availability of LPG, panic has reduced and cylinder demand, which had gone up to 89 lakh cylinders per day, has now come down to 50 lakh cylinders. At the same time, commercial cylinder allocations have increased by 50%.
The ministry cautioned against misleading videos and posts on social media platforms that, it said, selectively use images of queues, global news footage of rationing in other countries, and fabricated claims of impending lockdowns and emergency fuel measures in India to create a false impression of shortage.
It said some of these posts have “deliberately misrepresented government orders”, causing unnecessary anxiety among the public, and warned that spreading false information regarding essential commodity availability is an offence under applicable laws. It added that the government will act against those found deliberately creating panic.