New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) The government on Saturday said that domestic LPG production has been increased by about 31 per cent as part of measures to ensure uninterrupted supply of cooking gas amid the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia.

The update came during the fourth inter-ministerial media briefing, where officials from the Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas, External Affairs, Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and Information and Broadcasting shared updates on energy supplies, maritime operations and the safety of Indian nationals in the region.

Officials from the Petroleum Ministry said all refineries in the country are operating at high levels and maintaining adequate crude oil inventories.

India remains self-sufficient in the production of petrol and diesel and does not require imports to meet domestic demand, according to officials.

They also said there have been no cases of fuel dry-outs at petrol pumps across the country, urging consumers not to resort to panic buying as adequate stocks of petrol and diesel are available.

However, LPG demand has surged in recent days due to panic booking.

Moreover, officials said daily LPG bookings have increased sharply from an average of 55.7 lakh to about 88.8 lakh.

Despite the spike in demand, there have been no reported dry-outs at LPG distributorships so far.

The government has prioritised domestic LPG supply, especially for households and essential sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions.

Commercial LPG cylinders have also been placed at the disposal of state governments for priority distribution where required.

To ease pressure on LPG supplies, industries, hotels and restaurants in the National Capital Region have been temporarily allowed to use alternative fuels such as biomass pellets, coal or kerosene where natural gas is unavailable.

State governments have also intensified enforcement action to prevent hoarding and black marketing of LPG cylinders, with inspections and raids carried out in several states.

Meanwhile, the government also said that no new shipping incident involving Indian seafarers has been reported in the past 24 hours, adding that all Indian seafarers in the region are safe.

–IANS

ag/