State governments across India have stepped up enforcement measures to curb hoarding and black marketing of petrol, diesel, and cooking gas, the petroleum ministry said on Sunday. Authorities in several states, including Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, have carried out raids to check illegal stockpiling of LPG cylinders.
The ministry said the supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas is being closely monitored amid the current geopolitical situation. In its daily update, it noted that there have been no reported “dry-outs” at LPG distributorships. However, LPG bookings have declined slightly, with about 7.7 million bookings recorded on March 14 compared to 8.88 million bookings on March 13.
State governments continue to play a key role in monitoring the supply of essential fuels such as petrol, diesel, and LPG. High-level meetings have been held across several states and union territories to review supply levels, ensure uninterrupted distribution, and prevent panic buying or black marketing. According to the ministry, 22 states and union territories have set up control rooms to monitor the situation.
Data shared by the Press Information Bureau revealed that more than 1,483 inspections were carried out in Uttar Pradesh alone. These checks led to 24 FIRs being registered and six people arrested for allegedly hoarding LPG cylinders. Authorities also conducted joint raids in Maharashtra and Rajasthan to prevent illegal stockpiling.
The petroleum ministry said the overall energy supply and fuel availability situation in the country remains stable. It added that steps have been taken to ensure steady availability of petroleum products and LPG nationwide. All refineries are currently operating at high capacity and maintaining adequate crude oil inventories.
Officials also stressed that India remains self-sufficient in the production of petrol and diesel, and no imports are required to meet domestic demand. Oil Marketing Companies have reported no instances of fuel shortages at retail outlets. The government has urged citizens not to resort to panic buying, assuring that adequate stocks of petrol and diesel are available across the country.
Fuel retailing in India is largely dominated by three state-run oil marketing companies — Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. Despite disruptions in global energy supply chains and volatility in international oil prices, these companies have continued supplying fuel nationwide without increasing retail prices.
Meanwhile, international benchmark Brent Crude Oil rose sharply to $103.14 per barrel on Friday, marking a jump of over 41.5% since tensions linked to the Iran–Israel conflict escalation began about two weeks ago.
Minister of state for petroleum Suresh Gopi informed the Lok Sabha that petrol and diesel prices in India are market-determined, with oil marketing companies taking appropriate decisions on pricing.
Fuel prices have remained largely unchanged since mid-March 2024, when rates were reduced by ₹2 per litre. Following the revision on March 15, petrol and diesel prices dropped to ₹94.72 and ₹87.62 per litre respectively. Currently, petrol is priced at ₹94.77 per litre in Delhi and diesel at ₹87.67 per litre, after a marginal five-paise increase introduced on October 30, 2024 due to marketing cost adjustments.
