IndianOil ties up LPG imports, fully geared for higher gas demand

Indian Oil Corporation (IndianOil) has tied up higher LPG imports for April and May to ensure uninterrupted availability of bulk cooking gas fuel for its bottling plants and meet additional demand in the course of Covid-19 crisis.

The company will import 50 per cent additional quantity of LPG on the two month period that will help it cater to rising demand for cooking gas, especially when the government has allowed free supply of LPG cylinders to 8 crore customers under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), for whom the government has extended the facility of three LPG refills free of cost during the months April, May and June 2020.

As part of the exercise to increase LPG production in its major refineries, IndianOil  is optimising operations, improving LPG yield in LPG producing units like FCC/IndMax, etc.

The Corporation's LPG bottling plants too are working extended hours, operating night shifts and on public holidays/Sundays, to meet the growing demand. The transport infrastructure linking the plants to the distributors has also been optimised for quick turnaround of cylinders.

There has been a sudden jump in demand for LPG cylinders in the last one month period as people are staying indoors during the national lock down. IndianOil itself has delivered more than 3.38 crore LPG cylinders to its customers in the last 15 days since lockdown, that is, 26 lakh cylinders every single working day.

While assuring its customers across the country of adequate LPG supplies, IndianOil has appealed to them not to resort to panic-booking or visit the showrooms and godowns of their LPG distributorships for obtaining refills.

The Corporation has already initiated the transfer of the RSP for the first LPG refill to the bank accounts linked by its PMUY customers for direct subsidy payments. Accordingly, a total amount of over Rs 2,780 crore is being transferred to the bank accounts of about 3.7 crore PMUY customers, and the process is likely to be completed in the next two days.

At the time of refill delivery, the PMUY customer has to pay the delivery boy the full RSP for the refill as per the cash memo using the amount received by her in her bank account. PMUY customers who have taken delivery of a refill in April prior to the transfer of money in their bank accounts will also be eligible to book for a free refill after 15 days' gap.

In view of COVID-19 lock-down, the LPG distributors will not insist upon hard copy/copies of any document required from the PMUY customers.  The required documents can be captured digitally and hard copies submitted after the lock-down is lifted for maintenance of proper records.