Raut alleges LPG shortage amid West Asia war, says Centre must be transparent

Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut accused the Centre of not being transparent to the public regarding the availability of LPG cylinders in amid the ongoing West Asia war reported the PTIRaut urged the government to be transparent and take citizens into confidence over the issueSpeaking to reporters on Wednesday Sanjay Raut claimed that there is a shortage of LPG cylinders in India and warned that the situation could continue He alleged that the Union government was not being truthful about the availability of cooking gasldquoDo not trust the government It is lying There is a shortage of LPG and it will persistrdquo he saidComparison with fuel crisis in other countriesSanjay Raut further stated that several countries including Pakistan are facing severe fuel shortages leading to a situation comparable to a lockdown He suggested that the ongoing crisis in the region could have wider implications for energy supplies according to the PTIGovt urged to be transparentWhile acknowledging the challenges posed by the conflict Sanjay Raut said that even the government may have limited control over the situation due to external factors However he stressed that authorities should avoid making misleading claims and instead communicate honestly with the publicldquoOur only point is that the government should not lie and must take people into confidencerdquo he added as per the PTIImpact of West Asia war on energy supplyThe conflict in West Asia triggered by joint USIsrael strikes on Iran on February 28 has disrupted global energy supply chains As India relies heavily on imports of oil and gas from Gulf countries any prolonged instability in the region could affect domestic fuel availabilityDomestic LPG petrol and diesel prices unchanged despite jump in global cost GovtMeanwhile the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Wednesday clarified that domestic LPG petrol and diesel prices remain unchanged despite a sharp rise in global fuel costs driven by geopolitical tensions reported IANSThe government stated that only commercial LPG cylinder prices have been revised upward as they are marketlinked and deregulated These cylinders are primarily used by hotels restaurants and industries and account for less than 10 per cent of total LPG consumption in the countryThe recent hike follows a steep 44 per cent increase in global LPG benchmark prices particularly the Saudi Contract Price which rose from USD 542 per metric tonne in March to USD 780 for AprilDomestic LPG prices protectedTo shield households from rising international prices the government has kept the cost of domestic LPG unchanged A 142 kg domestic cylinder continues to be priced at Rs 913 according to the IANSUnder the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana PMUY subsidised LPG cylinders for economically weaker sections remain available at Rs 613 ensuring affordability for vulnerable householdsThe Ministry highlighted that public sector oil marketing companies are currently incurring an underrecovery of around Rs 380 per LPG cylinder at existing prices It added that cumulative losses are expected to reach over Rs 40000 crore in the coming monthsIn the previous year total losses of approximately Rs 60000 crore were shared equally between the government and oil companies to cushion consumers from global price shocksDespite global volatility India continues to maintain relatively low domestic LPG prices compared to neighbouring countries The Ministry noted that LPG prices are significantly higher in countries such as Pakistan Sri Lanka and Nepal reported IANSThis pricing strategy is aimed at balancing consumer affordability with international market realitiesPetrol and diesel prices stableRetail prices of regular petrol and diesel have also been kept unchanged In Delhi petrol continues to retail at Rs 9477 per litre while diesel is priced at Rs 8767 per litre reported IANSThe Ministry said that despite a sharp rise in global petroleum pricesmdashup by as much as 100 per cent in the past monthmdashoil companies are absorbing significant underrecoveries at the retail levelwith PTI and IANS inputs