Government today said that Indian households continue to receive cooking gas at among the lowest prices globally despite a sharp rise in international LPG prices. In a statement, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry said that the Indian cylinder is cheaper than in any neighbouring country and far below the price in advanced economies such as the United States, Australia and Canada. It noted that a beneficiary of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) pays 642 rupees for a 14.2-kg LPG cylinder after receiving a direct benefit transfer of 300 rupees on the first four refills annually, while the retail price for a general consumer in Delhi stands at 942 rupees.

The Ministry clarified that the price increased after the Saudi CP benchmark for LPG rose by about 46 per cent between February and June this year as the Hormuz disruption tightened Gulf supply, taking the cost of supplying a 14.2 kg cylinder to over 1,600 rupees. It underlined that the government has absorbed a substantial part of the increase to shield consumers from the impact of volatile global energy markets.

The Ministry highlighted that the effective price paid by Ujjwala beneficiaries remains lower than cooking gas prices in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Highlighting energy security measures during the West Asia crisis, the government said India was among the few countries that managed to keep its energy cargoes moving through the Strait of Hormuz despite severe disruptions in maritime traffic. It said there has been no shortage of petroleum products in the country, and LPG bottling and distribution operations have continued normally.

The ministry further added that domestic LPG production was increased by more than 60 per cent during the disruption period, while supplies were also sourced from countries including the United States, Canada and Algeria to ensure uninterrupted availability.