Over 17.25 lakh 5-kg LPG cylinders sold since March 23: Govt
New Delhi, April 18
The government on Saturday said that more than 17.25 lakh 5-kg FTL cylinders have been sold since March 23, adding that since April 3, PSU oil marketing companies have organised more than 6,450 awareness camps for 5-kg FTL cylinders, wherein more than 90,000 such cylinders were sold.
These 5-kg FTL cylinders are at the disposal of the state governments for supplying only to migrant labourers in their states with assistance from OMCs.
Meanwhile, total commercial LPG allocation has been increased to about 70 per cent of pre-crisis levels, including 10 per cent reform-linked allocation.
On April 17, 8,216 MT of commercial LPG (equivalent to more than 4.32 lakh 19-kg cylinders) was sold.
A total of 1,58,583 MT commercial LPG has been sold since March 14. This includes more than 9,200 MT of Auto LPG, informed Petroleum Ministry.
"Auto LPG sales were observed to have shifted from private to PSU OMCs. To meet the rising demand, the sale of auto LPG by the PSU OMCs has increased by 70 per cent. The major increase has been observed in the States like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan and West Bengal, etc," the ministry said.
Twenty-two states/UTs are receiving additional commercial LPG allocation linked to PNG expansion reforms.
Moreover, since March, more than 4.76 lakh PNG connections have been gasified. Further, more than 5.33 Lakh customers have been registered for new connections.
Till April 17, more than 37,500 PNG consumers have surrendered their LPG connections, said the ministry.
LPG supply continues to be affected by the prevailing geopolitical situation and supply of LPG to domestic households has been prioritised.
"No dry-outs have been reported at LPG distributorships. Online LPG bookings have increased to about 98 per cent across the industry till April 17.
Delivery Authentication Code (DAC) based deliveries have increased to more than 93 per cent to prevent diversion.
On April 17, more than 52 lakh domestic LPG cylinders were delivered.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While the numbers sound impressive, I'm concerned about the delivery on the ground. Are these cylinders actually reaching migrant labourers, or is there leakage in the system? The DAC system is a step in the right direction though.
The shift to PNG is happening fast in cities! Over 37k people surrendered LPG? That's surprising. Must be due to the convenience and maybe subsidy changes. Good to see commercial LPG allocation increasing for small businesses and dhabas.
Bhai, 52 lakh cylinders delivered in one day is a massive operation! Salute to the delivery personnel and OMC staff. The geopolitical situation is affecting supply, but prioritizing households is the correct decision. Jai Hind.
The 5-kg cylinder should be made permanently available for students, bachelors, and people living in small apartments. It's so much more manageable than the 14.2kg one. Government should consider this as a regular offering.
Interesting data on auto LPG shifting to PSUs. Shows trust in public sector during crisis. The 70% increase in sales in states like Karnataka and TN indicates where the transport sector is recovering faster. Good economic indicator.
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