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New Delhi: Day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to citizens to conserve fuel and make certain behavioural changes like using metro services or carpooling amid the West Asia crisis, the Centre clarified that there is no shortage of petrol and diesel, emphasising that the country has sufficient crude stocks.

The Centre maintained that it has taken up several measures to ensure that fuel supplies are maintained for the common consumer with minimal inconvenience.

“There have been disruptions in the global energy supply chain across the world. Significant price volatility is being observed in the international market. However, the Government of India has taken several effective measures and has strived to ensure that fuel supplies are maintained for the common consumer with minimal inconvenience. As a result of all these steps taken, our crude oil inventory remains well-maintained. Our refineries are operating at optimum levels,” the Joint Secretary (Marketing and Oil Refinery), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Sujata Sharma said. 

The Joint Secretary said that there are no instances of “dry outs” at retail outlets or at LPG distributorships, and assured that adequate stocks are available.

“There are no instances of dry-outs at any retail outlets. Nor have any dry-outs been reported at LPG distributorships. Adequate stocks of petrol and diesel are available, and LPG supplies for domestic cooking purposes are being maintained,” she said.

Detailing out the state of LPG cylinders delivered to households in recent times, ever since the Iran war broke out, Sharma said, “Over the past three days, 1 crore 26 lakh LPG cylinders have been delivered to households against 1 crore 14 lakh bookings. Similarly, sales of commercial LPG have exceeded 17,000 tonnes over the last three days. Sales of Auto LPG have also surpassed 762 tonnes.”

What PM Modi Said

Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to use petroleum products judiciously. He also stressed on prioritising work from home, online conferences, and virtual meetings just like during the pandemic.

“We must prioritise work from home, online conferences, and virtual meetings again. We must also place a strong emphasis on saving foreign exchange, as petrol and diesel have become so expensive globally... It is our responsibility to save the foreign currency spent on purchasing petrol and diesel,” the Prime Minister emphasised.

“During the pandemic, we developed many systems of work from home, online meetings, and video conferences, and we even became accustomed to them. Today, the demands of the times are such that if we restart these systems, it will be in the national interest,” he proposed.