India is witnessing a sea change in domestic cooking fuel consumption, with piped natural gas (PNG) emerging as a rapidly growing alternative across the country. Energy sector executives say adoption has accelerated rapidly in recent months, reflecting a clear change in consumer preference.Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) Chairman Anil Kumar Jain and Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) Managing Director Kamal Kishore Chatiwal both pointed to record growth in connections, increased convenience for consumers and strong supply stability as key drivers of this expansion.Both officials highlighted that PNG connections have reached unprecedented daily levels, reflecting strong demand among urban and semi-urban households.PNGRB Chairman Anil Kumar Jain said, “In March, we connected more than 10,000 households per day, adding more than 300,000 new connections. This is a record achievement.” He said that this growth is still continuing.Chatiwal highlighted the pace of expansion compared to earlier years.He said, “The connection we had before the war has become three times stronger today. Earlier there used to be 3-4 thousand across India, but now it has become 10-12 thousand.”Industry-wide coordination is expected to push the numbers even higher, he added.“And the target that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has given us, we are looking at it reaching 30,000 connections per day. When the entire CGD industry works together, there will be 30,000 connections per day,” he said.
shift from cooking gas for piped natural gas
He said that consumer preferences are gradually shifting away from LPG as households are recognizing the convenience of piped supply systems.“People earlier believed that LPG was better and more reliably available, and it will continue to be so. But now people are realizing that piped natural gas is even better than LPG,” Jain said.He said this shift reflects a broader behavioral shift in the way consumers view essential utilities.“Just as water and electricity are supplied directly to homes, people are now seeing cooking fuel also being delivered. Earlier there was uncertainty, but now that is turning into confidence.”Chatiwal also described PNG as a safe and reliable domestic fuel.“Domestic gas, piped gas into the home, we can see that as the safest,” he said.
Government pressure and stable fuel supply
Officials confirmed that there is no shortage of LPG, PNG, CNG, petrol or diesel in the country, the supply system remains stable.“The government has developed a medium-term approach where another gas option should be promoted along with LPG. LPG will remain the primary program, but we are moving towards promoting piped natural gas as well,” Jain said.He further said that PNG expansion is part of a structured national strategy.A nationwide campaign was launched from January 1 to March 31, 2026, to increase penetration of PNG, which initially progressed slowly but later gained momentum following geopolitical developments, including the situation around the Strait of Hormuz.“Following recent developments, the government directed state governments and companies to accelerate PNG expansion. The target has been made more ambitious and the program has been extended for another three months,” he said.Chatiwal said supply priority ensures domestic security.He said, “The government has kept it on top priority, so we are not facing any problem due to this.”
Strong domestic production and safety assurance
Chatiwal said domestic PNG consumption is a very small part of the total gas production, which ensures long-term security.He said, “The total domestic gas that we are using now is around 3.8 million per day. Leaving aside the imported gas, the domestic gas production is around 100 million standard cubic meters per day. So, we are using 3-4 per cent of the gas in the domestic PNG segment, so there is no problem and it is 100 per cent safe.”Officials also highlighted significant unused capacity in the existing network.Chatiwal said, “If I tell you according to the statistics, today there are around 60 lakh connections across the country which are already connected, but they are not taking gas due to any reason.”He said this offers immediate potential for passive base expansion.“So we have a ready number that we can gasify immediately,” he said.Chatiwal also expressed expectations of strong growth.“I am confident that 1 crore will double within the next year,” he said.
Promote adoption of consumer schemes
To encourage widespread adoption, companies have introduced several affordability plans and flexible payment options.He said, “There are many schemes in it, like the one rupee per day scheme.”“Also, to those who are paying Rs 6,000, we are giving free gas worth Rs 500, which we have extended till June,” he said. He said EMI options are also available for consumers.He said, “So now for the consumer who is not in a position to pay Rs 6,000, there are many such plans which he can switch to immediately.”Chatiwal also urged households that are using both LPG and PNG to completely switch to piped gas, citing adequate supply availability and system stability.“In fact, we have many LPG connections where we are using LPG as well as gas connections. So we are requesting people to surrender their LPG connections. There is gas and there is no problem,” he said.
