New Delhi: India’s fuel situation is “fully secure and under control” with about 60 days of stock cover, the government said on Thursday, rejecting reports of shortages as a “deliberate, coordinated misinformation campaign” meant to create panic.
A statement from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said, “there is no shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG anywhere in the country, with all 1 lakh-plus retail fuel outlets operating normally and dispensing fuel without any rationing.”
Isolated panic buying at some outlets arose from “misleading social media posts,” while depots kept supplies flowing overnight and oil companies raised credit to pumps from one day to over three days, it said.
India, the world’s fourth-largest refiner and fifth-largest petroleum products exporter serving over 150 countries, has “domestic availability structurally assured.”
“All refineries are operating at over 100% utilisation, and crude oil supplies for the next 60 days have already been secured,” the ministry said, stressing there is “no supply gap.”
Crude inflows hold steady despite Strait of Hormuz tensions, thanks to higher volumes from over 41 suppliers, notably the western hemisphere. Total storage capacity is 74 days, with actual stocks at 60 days including crude, products, and strategic cavern reserves. “With procurement for the next two months already tied up, fuel availability remains assured for the months ahead,” it added.
For LPG, the ministry highlighted a 40 per cent rise in domestic refinery output to 50,000 metric tonnes per day, meeting more than 60 per cent of requirements. The rest—about 30 TMT—is handled via locked-in imports, including 800 TMT en route from the US, Russia, and Australia. Oil companies continue distributing over 50 lakh cylinders daily, with demand returning to normal post-panic surge.
