India avoided fuel shortages despite two major wars in world in four years: Hardeep Puri
Varanasi, May 18
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said India has successfully avoided shortages of crude oil, LPG and pipeline gas despite facing disruptions caused by two major wars in the world over the last four years.
Speaking during an interaction with the media in Varanasi, the Minister said the ongoing conflict in West Asia has created fresh challenges for the global energy sector and international supply chains.
"Look at the war going on in West Asia today, it is about to complete nearly 80 days. This conflict started on February 28. In the last four years, this is the second major war. Earlier, the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022, and now this conflict has been continuing for the last 80 days," Puri said.
He stated that despite these geopolitical disruptions, India ensured uninterrupted supply of energy products across the country.
"Because of this, many new challenges emerged. But I am happy to tell you that India is one such country in the world where we did not allow any shortage of crude oil, pipeline gas or LPG," the minister said.
"For the last four years, we did not increase prices and in fact had reduced them as well," he added.
However, he noted that rising crude oil prices and global instability have increased financial pressure on oil marketing companies (OMCs).
"At present, oil marketing companies are facing losses of Rs 1,000 crore per day, and the under-recovery is even higher," the minister said.
The Petroleum Minister attended the District Development Coordination & Monitoring Committee Meeting in Varanasi.
He further spoke about the government's efforts to expand piped natural gas infrastructure and reduce dependence on LPG cylinders.
He said special focus is being given to increasing piped gas connections in Varanasi.
"Our CMDs, especially from GAIL (Gas Authority of India Limited), have worked very hard. In Varanasi, in Kashi, we want the LPG connections to be converted into piped gas connections at a much faster pace," Puri stated.
According to the minister, the pace of conversion from LPG to piped gas has already improved significantly.
"I am very happy that the conversion has increased four times, but I still believe it is less, and we would like to accelerate it further," he said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Coming from the US, I'm impressed by how India managed its energy supply chain during two major wars. We faced gas price hikes here even without direct conflict. India's strategic reserves and diversified sourcing seem to have worked. Good to see a developing country leading by example in energy security.
Puri ji's claim about not increasing prices is technically true, but let's not forget the excise duty cuts from 2021-22 helped cushion the blow. Credit where due for managing supply, but we should also remember that global crude prices were already elevated before these wars. Still, better than many other nations. 👏
I'm a homemaker in Mumbai and can confirm LPG cylinders have been available without panic buying—which was a huge worry during Covid times. The piped gas push in Varanasi sounds promising. Hope other cities follow suit. But 1000 crore loss daily? Someone please explain how this is sustainable without eventual price hikes.
As an energy analyst, I'd note that India's diversified import mix (Russia, Iraq, Saudi, US) helped hedge against supply shocks. The Russia-Ukraine war actually gave India access to discounted crude, which eased margins. Smart geopolitics by Delhi. But the OMC losses need structural fixes—subsidies can't last forever.
Living in Bengaluru, I see the piped gas expansion happening slowly but steadily. Puri's focus on Kashi conversion is good, but what
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