Govt doubles 5-kg LPG cylinder supply for migrant labourers amid shortage

Move aims to ease LPG shortage for migrant workers as supply disruptions from West Asia prompt the government to prioritise domestic consumption

The government has doubled the quantity of 5-kilogram Free Trade LPG (FTL) cylinders in every state for migrant labourers amid reports of such workers leaving cities as the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shortage deepens in the country amid the West Asia crisis.

 

The number of cylinders to be doubled will be determined based on the average daily supply to migrant labourers between March 2 and 3, 2026, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said. The cylinders would be supplied only to migrant labourers by the state governments, with the assistance of state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs), it added.

 

 

The ministry said around 7.8 lakh 5-kg FTL cylinders have been sold since March 23, with more than 1.06 lakh cylinders sold nationwide on April 6, compared with a daily average of 77,000 in February. State-run OMCs have organised around 1,300 awareness camps for 5-kg FTL cylinders during the last four days, wherein more than 10,000 cylinders were also sold.

 

For commercial LPG, the government said about 86,439 metric tonnes (MT) have been sold since March 14, which is equivalent to over 4.55 lakh 19-kg cylinders, with around 6,530 MT sold on April 6 alone. The government has increased the total commercial LPG allocation to about 70 per cent of pre-crisis levels, including 10 per cent reform-linked allocation.

 

As India faces an LPG shortage amid the West Asia crisis, the government has cut allocation for commercial use to prioritise supplies for domestic households. The move comes as around 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports are sourced from West Asian countries.