Partha Debnath

At stake is not merely a temporary LPG disruption. What is unfolding is a reordering of India’s cooking energy regime, where crisis is becoming the pretext—and perhaps the instrument—for a large-scale transition toward piped natural gas (PNG). India’s LPG system is structurally import-dependent. The country consumes over 33 million metric tonnes of LPG annually, with nearly 60% sourced through imports, primarily from West Asia.

This transition is widely considered one of the most significant clean energy shifts in the developing world. By reducing reliance on firewood and biomass fuels, LPG expansion has helped address indoor air pollution and improved health outcomes for millions of women. Yet expanded access has also created deep structural dependence. When LPG supply becomes uncertain—even temporarily—the consequences ripple quickly across households that rely entirely on gas stoves for cooking.

Cooking gas has long been presented as one of India’s major welfare successes. Over the last decade, the country dramatically expanded LPG access through government programmes and wider distribution networks. India now has more than 31 crore LPG connections, and nearly 9.6 crore of these were provided under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, which aimed to move households away from polluting fuels such as firewood and kerosene.